The Fairest
by LaptopWriter22
Summary: Courtesy of a certain evil scientist, half of Danville ends up trapped together in an ultimately imperiled hotel. With only a fairytale story to pass the time, they end up exploring the lives of characters that seem strangely like some of the town's own more famous citizens. Rated T for mild violence and dark content. UPDATED :D
1. Chapter 1

The Fairest: A Phineas and Ferb Fanfiction

_**A/N: First off, I know I said on my profile I wouldn't come back until mid-July. Thankfully, all issues were resolved, and as far as I know, I should be able to update. This was supposed to be out ages ago, but it's been one of **_**those **_**weeks. For anyone who might have looked at my story list, I couldn't recover all of 'Malice'. I'll rewrite it sometime, but I started this already, so I figured I'd work on it first.**_

_**Secondly, of course, this story is loosely based on the 'Snow White' plot. I said loosely, though; do you think I'd write a fanfiction filled with nothing but fairytale romance? Ugh! No! It's dark, too, with a few interesting twists. The citizens of Danville are participating in the fanfiction, but the book they're reading from provides a sort of AU. So, it's an AU-within-a-regular-fic. Sounds interesting, right? Okay!**_

_**DISCLAIMER: Doofenshmirtz: You will never own the rights to Phineas and Ferb! Dan, Jeff, and Disney do! And, they're ending the show this season!**_

_**Me: Noo! *Falls to the ground sobbing***_

_**Doofenshmirtz: And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how to make a grown fanfiction writer cry.**_

_**Me: *Rocking back and forth, still crying* No, no, no-o…**_

* * *

Chapter One

The comforting view of a lit building ahead heartened the little group of people walking together toward it. Cars lined the streets of downtown Danville as far back as the eye could see. A few snowflakes danced downward to light on the passers-by, and one caught a drift of wind from a waving hand and landed on a pointed nose.

Phineas Flynn blinked at the sensation. "Ooh, it's cold!" he gasped. "And it tickled my nose when it melted."

His good friend, Isabella Garcia-Shapiro, laughed as Phineas brushed the droplet off his nose. "That's one for you, though, Phineas," she chimed in. "Let's see; how many snowflakes has everyone caught?"

"Well, one landed in your hair back there, Ferb caught a couple on his scarf, and I only have one so far," Phineas replied. "Isn't that right, Ferb?" His brother, strolling along beside them, gave a thumbs-up.

"Oh, Ferb is winning," Isabella said in mock-dismay. "We'd better catch up!"

"It's hard with this few snowflakes," Phineas observed. "It's only spitting snow, but it might develop into a real storm later." His stepfather, walking ahead of the children with his wife and Isabella's mother, looked back at that comment.

"Yes, it doesn't seem like the best weather for opening a time capsule, does it now?" Lawrence asked.

"I kind of like it," Phineas replied. "It's a cutting cold, but we'll be inside the heated building. Besides, Danville has waited two hundred years to the day to see what's in that capsule, all because they couldn't find the place where it was buried a hundred years ago when they were supposed to open it."

"That was weird. Wasn't the capsule finally discovered when the museum was renovated?" Isabella recalled.

"Who knows what tricks time thought to play when the date was set to have his ancient treasures revealed?" Ferb, the philosophical one, spoke up.

"Oh, yeah, right. The only trick time thought to play was making all the Danville history buffs run downtown to see what's inside a stupid can of steel," Candace Flynn complained, pulling her coat closer around her. "Lame!"

"…to see what's inside a sardine can! All I can say is, boring," a soft-but-cynical, low voice groaned. Phineas turned.

"Hey, Candace, I think someone agrees with you," he commented as Vanessa Doofenshmirtz, wearing a deep purple coat over her usual black attire, walked out of the cold dark air into view.

"Aw, come on, Vanessa, it'll be fun once we discover what it is," Vanessa's father reasoned, huffing as he tried to catch up with his daughter. He was pulling one of the bigger sizes of children's wagons with a cloth over the top. "Hopefully, it'll be something evil!" Vanessa ignored him.

"Oh, hi, Vanessa," Candace greeted her acquaintance.

"Hi, Candace. Are you here for the opening of the 'all-important' time capsule?" Vanessa asked, rolling her eyes.

"What else? That's all my brothers have talked about for the last month." Candace sighed. "At least my boyfriend is going to be here. We're going to sit together while they monotone about whatever they find in there."

"Really? My boyfriend couldn't come." Vanessa stared at the ground for a moment.

"Oh. Why not?" Candace inquired.

"He was going to, but he got called out for duty," Vanessa tried to brush the matter away. "It happens a lot. I guess I'll have to settle for Mom. She's coming later."

"You have a boyfriend?" Doofenshmirtz called out from behind Vanessa. She looked back at him.

_"No!"_ she yelled forcefully. Doofenshmirtz frowned.

"But, you just said…" he began. Vanessa growled and took Candace' sleeve.

"Walk faster." The girls went ahead, still talking. Phineas continued to speculate about the contents of the time capsule to Isabella and a suddenly distrait Ferb until the group finally reached the doors.

"Wow! Check it out, guys," Phineas directed as the doors opened.

"They sure dressed this place up for tonight," Isabella said, obviously impressed. The Four Star Stay, Danville's main luxury hotel, was in fine form tonight. The wallpaper was light gold, polished chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, and pictures of historical events had been added to the walls in honor of the time capsule's opening. Faint piano music drifted down the halls and mixed pleasantly with the noise of people talking.

"I don't think I've been in here three times in my life, but this is beautiful," Isabella breathed.

"You can almost feel the mystery in the air," Phineas remarked. Ferb nodded.

"The room reserved for the opening of the time capsule is that way," an usher directed the group. Phineas and Isabella thanked him and peeked inside the room. It was huge, decorated in the same fashion as the halls and filled with circular tables.

Candace and Vanessa found their way to a table, still deep in conversation. The Flynn-Fletcher clan crowded around the table next to it along with Isabella and her mother, but Ferb was slow to take a seat due to staring off at something else and ended up standing alone.

Vanessa, noticing Ferb's eyes on her, patted the seat next to her. "Do you want to sit here?" she asked. "We don't need all the seats, especially since the usher isn't letting Dad in." She gestured toward the door. Doofenshmirtz was arguing vehemently with the usher, who was looking down his nose at the covered wagon and shaking his head emphatically.

"If you're sure you don't mind," Ferb murmured.

"No, go ahead," Vanessa replied. Ferb accepted her invitation. He kept quiet, his cheeks red from perhaps more than the adjustment to the warm room when a thud made the heads of the people closest to the door turn. Doofenshmirtz advanced into the room with his cargo.

"Dad, what did you do?" Vanessa asked.

"Nothing! The usher let me in to keep me quiet, or something like that," Doofenshmirtz replied cheerily. His voice changed, however, as he noticed Ferb. "Vanessa, who is that hoodlum? I've told you time and time again not to let strangers near you!"

"He's not a stranger; I know him. This is Candace. He's her brother and an old friend," Vanessa explained. Ferb waved.

"Oh. Well, I still-" Doofenshmirtz was cut off by Danville's mayor. Roger Doofenshmirtz was standing onstage beside a wide, cylindrical, metallic-looking container.

"Attention, citizens of Danville! I am encouraged to see such a large turnout, for history is a key factor in our life." Roger proceeded to make a speech while Doofenshmirtz lifted the cover of his wagon, Ferb watched Vanessa nearly fall asleep, Candace searched the room for Jeremy, and Isabella stared dreamily at Phineas, who was hanging on every word of the talk.

"And now, it gives me great pleasure-" everyone jerked to a more attentive state at those words-"to open the capsule!" The mayor easily pulled the lid off the cylinder and reached inside. He frowned as his arm sank into the opening. "Well, that's peculiar," he muttered.

Grumblings arose. "What a rip-off! There's nothing in it," Doofenshmirtz cried above everyone else.

"Now, now! I'm sure our ancestors wouldn't have played a trick like that on us," Roger attempted to assure the crowd. "Melanie, could you-" His voice was drowned out while his secretary, along with a white-haired, important-looking man in olive green assisted by a college kid, peered into the time capsule.

"Wait a second! There's something there, deep inside the bottom," the redheaded kid exclaimed. He nearly fell into the capsule trying to pull it out.

"Give me that, Carl," the white-haired man instructed as Carl resurfaced with a huge book in his hands.

"Yes, Major Monogram," Carl sniffed, handing it over obediently. Monogram faced the crowd, and Doofenshmirtz dived under the table. Candace and Ferb shot Vanessa a concerned look. She shrugged.

"Just ignore him. That's what I always do."

"It appears to be a book of fairy tales," Major Monogram concluded after he'd turned a few pages. "Nothing of historical relevance, just fiction written two hundred years ago."

"Well, that's a disappointment," Roger said airily. "In that case, we should all go home before the storm worsens." The crowd began to grumble again, though a few people, including Vanessa, stood up, fully prepared to take the mayor's advice.

"Wait!" Carl, straightening his glasses, stumbled to the front of the stage. "Why don't we read one of the stories?"

"I don't really see the point," Major Monogram returned.

"But fairy tales usually have some sort of moral to them," Carl reasoned. "Sometimes, they present parallels that are strikingly similar to situations of today." The mayor and Major Monogram exchanged glances.

"I guess you can read it if you can find an audience," Major Monogram gave in. Carl excitedly opened the book.

"I just love reading stories," the intern enthused. "Hmm…let's just start at the first one, here. It's called, 'The Fairest', and there's a picture of a dagger and a poisoned apple on the title page. It's written using the point of view of several characters. Let's just start with the introduction." A few people left. Most of them stayed. Carl began to read.

* * *

_Introduction- No POV_

A framed portrait of a beautiful girl hung on the palace wall, accentuated by the orange flicker of lantern light approaching down the hallway. The girl's bright blue eyes seemed to reflect the light as it came closer, and her long, dark hair looked so soft and real that one could swear it was going to spill out of the picture frame. The girl was dressed all in black, and a name engraved into the bottom of the frame read, "Evanessa." The painting, hanging beside another portrait of an older, still beautiful woman, gave a bit of character to the long, dark hallway, for the young subject of the painting looked a little too-posed, annoyed at having to sit for a portrait.

A pair of hands reached up and tore the picture of Evanessa off the wall a bit roughly. The middle-aged, homely man, nonetheless dressed in rich apparel, lowered the painting to the floor with shaking hands. Slowly, he turned to the woman standing before him. She wore a crown and a long blue dress, and was grasping a scepter with a blue jewel on the end quite tightly.

"I believe this is the last of the details," she mused out loud as the man rehung the picture on the other side of the hall-at the end of a long line of deceased relatives of the royal family. "Let's see. We've announced that the princess was a traitor, accused her of selling dangerous information to our enemies, paid the assassin and sent him home a hero-"

"How in the world can you be so calm about this?" the middle-aged man demanded. He put his hand on the picture frame, obviously trying to control his emotions. "I can't believe you killed my-"

"Evanessa was becoming a danger to the safety of this kingdom," the woman interrupted smoothly.

"You mean, she was becoming too beautiful for your taste," the man shot back. "Even though you don't know what you'd do without it. How are you going to live now, by the way?" The woman turned on him suddenly.

"You ramble too much, Heinz. Just because Evanessa asked me to keep you as my advisor instead of condemning you for your evil deeds doesn't mean I have to let you stay on now," she reminded him. Her eyes narrowed as she ran her hand down her arm. "The magic will still work. I'll just have to adopt someone for the purpose." She looked up. "Now, where was I? We did pay the assassin and send him off properly, didn't we?"

"Yes," Doofenshmirtz replied sullenly.

"Good. We don't want to miss a chance to honor someone who rids our kingdom of dangers like Evanessa," the queen replied with an ironic smile. "What was the assassin's name, again?"

"If you open the window, you can still hear the people shouting it," Doofenshmirtz muttered. The queen swept over to the window and opened the shutters. All the citizens in the land were out in the streets, shouting a name joyously.

"Ferbison Fletcher! All thanks to the queen's chosen assassin!" The queen smiled, leaning over the balcony. The princess Evanessa was gone. She'd hated to have her daughter 'removed' from the royal line, but after all, one of them had to die. Would it be Queen Charliana of Tristaria? No. No, it would not.

* * *

"You know, this story is starting to sound disturbingly parallel to our world," Doofenshmirtz observed loudly. The people around him at the tables looked up briefly and glared at him. "Although, I have a namesake! You know when you come across stories, and there's a character with your name? That never happened to me until now! I always wondered why there weren't more characters who share my name…" He stopped talking as he met the angry stares of the audience.

Vanessa rocked back in her seat. "For once, I agree with Dad," she complained. "Why does everyone so far except for the assassin sound like my family?"

"Please, let's have quiet in the audience," Carl admonished. "Come on, this is fun! The next section is from the point of view of someone named Phineas Flyngard."

Across the room, Isabella sat up straight. Phineas looked at her with a puzzled expression. "What?" he asked.

"This story is about to get better," Isabella sighed contently.

* * *

_One Month After the Introduction-Phineas' POV_

There used to be a picture on my brother's bedroom wall. It was a small portrait of a beautiful girl with long brown hair. Ferbison carried it home from his trip to the palace of Tristaria to assassinate the princess.

The queen assigned the profession of 'assassin' to the Flyngard-Fletcher clan when she took the throne of Tristaria. We used to be dealers of ancient and rare artifacts before then, when I was very young. There isn't much of a market for that now, though, since the queen took everything valuable for herself.

There I go, thinking bitter thoughts about this country's government again. Ferbison would never forgive me. He's just so _good_ at being an assassin. The princess was his first assassination, but he'd been practicing for the job ever since the queen assigned it to us. I don't remember much about the queen's ascension to the throne, but Ferbison is two years older than me, so I think he knows more about it. He never talks about the ascension, but I think it scared him more than it scared me. He spends all of his time practicing with his weapons of trade, determined to develop his skill. I wish he would talk with me more, but that's not Ferbison's style.

I'm an interesting person to talk to. I am! I have many secrets. For instance, Ferbison has finally stopped letting me make excuses and is teaching me everything he knows about the family profession. I'm about to turn sixteen, and that means my name will be entered into the list of assassins that the queen refers to whenever she needs one. Why am I making excuses? Well, the truth is..._I don't want to kill._

I can't stand the idea of killing someone. I've held Ferbison's daggers while he's guided my arm downward in a perfect slicing motion. I've imagined holding a knife to someone's throat and watching their eyes close. I don't want to do that. To end a life is unthinkable for me. Yes, you keep your good standing with the queen, but how does the other person feel? How do you feel when it's all over?

And frighteningly enough, when I share my feelings with my brother, he doesn't tell me not to think about it or remind me that at least we have a trade and aren't peasants, the way he used to. The way he did before _he _had to assassinate someone. That's my next secret, in fact: I'm worried about Ferbison. Before he assassinated Princess Evanessa, he didn't talk much and his face was expressionless. But now, ever since he came back on a beautiful black horse from the palace, with the people running after him and shouting praises, he hasn't said a word. I'll never forget his expression when he rode in. His face looked dead, like he was in shock from what he'd just done.

Ferbison may be laconic, and he may become annoyed with me when I shrink from my lessons with him, but I've never had cause to be uneasy around him. Now, though, I don't know what to think. He's angered by the slightest thing. I'll never forget yesterday, the day the picture came off our bedroom wall.

I'd asked Ferbison before if the picture was of the princess, but he never answered me. So, when he was out chopping wood, I went into our room, stood on his bed, and took the picture down and turned it over, hoping for a clue. There was handwriting on the back; my brother's handwriting.

_Evanessa-the Fairest of Them All. _That was all it said. I was surprised to see my brother's handwriting on the back of the picture. It didn't make sense to me. I dropped the painting, and Ferbison came running. He stopped short inside the doorframe and stared down at the picture.

Then he looked at me, still standing on the bed. I froze; his face was a mixture of rage, fear, and something else; sadness, perhaps. I didn't know what to expect for a moment, but he only strode toward the picture, picked it up, and left the room.

I ran to the thin spot in the hedge. All assassins must have a hedge around their house if they live in a village. This is to ensure that they are seen as little as possible by the commoners and peasants. A public life reduces the value of an assassin. People might learn who we are too easily and start to watch out for us.

This is my third secret so far, and the only cheerful one. I have a secret place in our hedge. There's a spot where the thorns are thin enough to squeeze myself in, so that I'm hidden, but I can watch our neighbors across the stream. I'm not spying; I just get lonely sometimes.

There's a girl across the stream who lives with her mother. They're peasants, probably because her father seems to have died, but this girl is always so cheerful! She has the longest jet-black hair I've ever seen, white skin, and blue eyes that light up when she smiles. Sometimes, she sings, and I forget everything about my dismal world. I watch her draw water from the stream or gather firewood more than I should, I'm afraid. I've memorized the times of day that she comes out. I want to meet this girl someday, but that's probably impossible. The queen's rules must never be broken, including the one about associating with other human beings. The life of an assassin is a lonely one, even if one doesn't choose it for himself.

I don't know her name; I hope to be around at the right time one day so I can hear her mother call it. For now, because of the paleness of her skin and the way she dances around, like a snowflake in early winter, I call her Snow White. I hope she wouldn't mind if she knew. She came so close to the hedge a moment ago. I could have almost reached out and touched her. That's where I am right now; pressed into the thin spot in the hedge. It's a good place to think. I'm supposed to be throwing daggers at the target drawn on the old oak tree in the back of our yard, but I heard her voice and just had to come over.

I feel a hand jerk my arm and look up into Ferbison's face. Gasping, I scramble away from the hedge. He doesn't say anything, just slams a dagger into my hand and grabs me by the back of the neck. He shoves me back toward the tree and stands there, which means he'll be keeping watch for a while.

I guess that was my last glimpse of Snow White today. Hmm, Ferbison is going inside. However, he may still watch from the window. I suppose I'd better play it safe and actually practice. Going near the hedge again today might prove disastrous if Ferbison caught me. He doesn't know I watch the neighbors, and I don't want him to find out about Snow.

I throw a dagger, but it barely hits the trunk of the tree below the target. I sigh and trudge over to retrieve it. I'm clearly not in the mood to practice-not that I ever am. I feel like telling my thoughts or explaining my day to someone. No one ever asks me what I'm doing.

I wonder what Snow's going to do today.

* * *

_Ferbison's POV_

I just found Phineas loafing instead of practicing again. I don't know what to do with him. He's got to learn that he has to perform his duties well. What if he still can't even handle a sword correctly if the queen should call him for duty? His sixteenth birthday is only a week away.

He thinks I'm a monster for getting angry with him so easily. I'm not; I'm genuinely worried about his wellbeing. If he was ever called to the palace for a mission, and couldn't prove himself competent, or worse, refused to comply with the queen's wishes…

He'll get over his nervousness about the act of assassination soon enough. He must. It's not easy to be an assassin. However, there is a way to cope with the guilt, the horror and pain you feel as you watch someone die by your own hand. You have to deaden your mind and throw your eyes out of focus. You'll be all right. That was what I told myself all the way to the palace when the queen called me.

I rode in with the messenger that had been sent to summon me. It was still morning when I arrived. I was introduced to the queen, her advisor, and her daughter, the princess Evanessa. She was the most beautiful girl in Tristaria. She wasn't soft, though. She didn't trust me; I could tell the moment she laid eyes on me that she knew what errand I was there on. She appeared determined, strong, and perfectly able to hold her own in a dangerous environment. I wanted to get to know her, but I only had one day at the palace, and I still hadn't been told the name of the man I was to assassinate.

The princess was told to show me around the palace, so I spent all morning and afternoon with her. The queen was busy in her private chambers. She said something about a book when she left, but I didn't pay attention at the time. I did notice that as the day went on, Evanessa's radiant beauty seemed to wane somehow. Almost like…magic.

The queen discussed the assassination with me in private later. She wanted it done that night after dinner, in the woods, quietly. She'd announce the death of the princess tomorrow, she told me. I was shocked, and she saw it. In the same casual tone she'd used to discuss the table settings, she informed me that the princess' demise was necessary for the good of all Tristaria-and _my family._

What could I do? I hardly ate a bite at dinner, but I could feel Evanessa watching me. Something must have made her suspicious, for when I sneaked up to her room as soon as the moon was out, I found her locking the bedroom door behind her. She was running away.

I remembered Phineas, my parents, my sister Camilla and her new husband, all in a rush. I grabbed her arm. She must have heard me coming, because she fought back. I have a feeling that her efforts might have been more effective if she hadn't been so weak for some reason. I carried her out of the palace with no trouble, to the darkest part of the woods. It was easy. It would have been so easy.

I had two choices: Run her through right then or tell her to run and never look back. She was in no state to flee. Something or someone had drained her energy. I did something that night that I fear I will always regret. Her head slipping from my shoulder in the cold rain that had started to pour was a horrible thing to feel. But then, I would have regretted my decision no matter what it was. At least I know that she's in a better place now. No one would want to live with Queen Charliana.

That experience is the reason I'm harder on Phineas nowadays. I don't want him to be in a situation like that without proper training. I want him to be tough, hard, and able to react quickly. I don't want him to end up in a situation where he's faced with either killing unfeelingly or telling someone to run and never look back. He might make an unsafe choice.

I've trained for years, and I know now how tempting that would be.

* * *

Carl carefully shut the book. "Hey, what's going on?" Phineas-and several others-asked.

"The chapter ended," Carl informed the crowd.

"So what? Let's have another," everyone clamored. Carl glanced toward a huge window.

"It looks like the snow is picking up," he said. "I think everyone should go home." Murmurs spread throughout the crowd.

"But, Jeremy just got here," Candace objected. "We can't leave now."

"Well, we do have this room rented for a week to display the contents of the capsule before it goes to the museum. Why don't you all come back tomorrow?" Carl suggested.

"But, I want to hear the rest! Also, I didn't even get to use what's in my wagon," Doofenshmirtz protested.

"That's good," Vanessa said, standing and stretching lazily. "I'm going home. I just saw Mom come in." She waved to Charlene, who crossed over to her.

"Did you have fun?" Charlene asked. "What did I miss?" Vanessa started walking for the door.

"It was just plain weird, Mom," her voice faded off into the distance. "There's this book about another land, and you're evil, and I couldn't even tell if some guy killed me or not…" Ferb watched Vanessa leave, wondering if she'd be back again the next day. Isabella and Phineas came and stood next to him, talking about the fairytale.

"It was cool!" Phineas declared. "Adventure, intrigue, romance…"

"I thought the girl across the stream sounded familiar," Isabella said sweetly. "Although, the whole story made me a little scared."

"Well, the characters are all older than we are," Phineas replied. "I didn't understand all of it exactly, but I guess they do more grown-up stuff than we do, or at least different stuff." Isabella shivered.

"I guess so," she said.

"Are you cold, Isabella?" Phineas inquired.

She pointed to her heart. "In there."

"It's okay," he assured her, taking her hand. "I'll walk close to you so you'll be warmer." She smiled at him.

"All the way to the car?"

"All the way to the car," he promised. The Flynn-Fletcher and Garcia-Shapiro families exited the room, leaving only Doofenshmirtz there. He was sighing as he tightened the ropes around his covered wagon.

"Man, I've got to activate this thing early tomorrow so I can make sure I hear the rest of this story-without any bothersome chapter breaks."

* * *

_**So? Loved it, hated it? Is Evanessa dead? Will Phineas Flyngard ever meet Snow? What's Doofenshmirtz up to? Tell me what you think in a review! See you soon-Laptop**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Back again! So, I was a little later than I would have liked. However, during this week, I've been everywhere from funerals to Fourth of July events, and there've been a bunch of family and friends. Besides, these chapters are long; a total of nine pages on Word. So, I updated in under a week; that's not too bad! Anyway, where was I? Oh, yes…**_

* * *

Chapter Two

The Four Star Stay was more crowded the next night, even though it was snowing a little harder. The Flynn-Fletcher and Garcia-Shapiro families trailed along into the room with the tables. Candace ran off to find Jeremy, and Linda, Lawrence, and Vivian quickly found a table, so Phineas, Isabella, and Ferb were left alone at the edge of the room. Phineas was too excited to sit down, and Ferb was looking for the girl he'd seen yesterday.

After a quick glance around the room, he saw her, standing alone by the wall. Ferb made his way over to Vanessa with Phineas following him, and Isabella, naturally, following Phineas. As Ferb approached, he thought he heard Vanessa's father from somewhere outside, talking in a high-pitched tone to someone called Perry-.

Vanessa looked up as Ferb came closer. "Hey, Ferb," she said with a careless wave. "How's it going?" He nodded at her, suddenly forgetting to think. Vanessa smiled at Phineas and Isabella.

"I never can remember your names."

"My name is Phineas."

"I'm Isabella."

"Well, it's nice to meet you officially," Vanessa said politely. An eerie, electrical noise came from the hall, followed by a yelp.

"Don't gloat, Perry; I'll have it right in a minute," a voice sounded. Phineas wrinkled his brow.

"Uh, isn't that your dad?" he asked Vanessa. She shook her head in annoyance.

"Yeah. He'll be here in a minute; he's out there talking to a platypus-"

"Really? Is he slow, harmless, and good at napping?" Phineas questioned.

"Not really. I don't know much about Perry; all he ever does is try to stop my dad," Vanessa replied.

"But his name is Perry?" Ferb asked suddenly, glancing toward the hall.

"I guess so. That's what Dad always calls him." Vanessa shrugged.

"Aw, that's so cute! Phineas and Ferb have a platypus named Perry, too," Isabella said.

"Is every platypus named Perry?" Phineas asked.

"I don't know. Maybe in my Dad's world. He could have just made up the name. I don't exactly know how or when they met," Vanessa explained. Ferb started to say something, but at that moment, a microphone switched on.

"Testing, testing!" Carl sang out over the crowd.

"I guess we'd better find a table," Isabella said.

"We could all sit together," Phineas suggested.

"Sounds great." Vanessa popped her head into the hall. "Dad, are you coming?" she shouted.

"Yes, yes. In a minute, sweetie," Doofenshmirtz hollered back. Vanessa rolled her eyes and grabbed Ferb by one hand and Isabella by the other.

"Come on," she said lightly. "He won't be in here for a while. Let's find a place before they start." The kids set off and were so busy weaving between other people that they didn't notice the flickering lights or the faint thunder that began as Carl opened the book again.

"Chapter Two of 'The Fairest'," he read. "On Phineas' Flyngard's sixteenth birthday…"

* * *

_The Palace-No POV_

Queen Charliana stood waiting in the center of the throne room, her hand hovering over a cut diamond that turned on a tall display stand. Almost hypnotized herself by the circling gem and the shafts of light that emitted from it, she stared into the diamond, studying the way the lanterns, the other jewels in their special positions on the wall, even the sapphire in her scepter, gained their energy from it…

"I'm here!" One of the huge double doors slammed shut, echoing throughout the room. The queen whirled around, eyes blazing. On seeing only her advisor, however, she calmed visibly, strolling up the steps to her throne. She failed to notice the sweat on Heinz' brow or the too-eager tone he was using.

"You're late," she murmured, sweeping the folds of her gown around her as she settled into her throne. Doofenshmirtz hurried toward the stairs, panting a little.

"I know," he began in a rush. "There were a lot of records that needed going over, and I was in the library. Did you know that the entire second shelf needed reorganizing-in the library? Those books about our kingdom's laws really get jumbled and dusty when the rulers don't go over them-"

"Choosing to ignore the last sentence," the queen interrupted, smooth sarcasm infusing her voice, "I'll tell you why you're here, Heinz." She extended her scepter toward the circling gem. "Do you see that?"

"It seems dimmer than usual," Doofenshmirtz observed, bending down to peer at the diamond. Charliana clasped her hands as a cruel smile spread over her face.

"Precisely." There was a pause. "The health of the diamond represents the health of the entire kingdom," the queen went on.

"The health of the diamond represents your own, ever since you found that book of spells," Doofenshmirtz retorted. He realized what he'd said and backed away. The queen stood and strode down the steps, tapping her scepter against her hand as if in thought.

"The book of spells," she repeated, stalking toward the front of the room. She stopped in front of Doofenshmirtz. "Tell me, how do you seem to know so much about something you're not supposed to know exists?" Doofenshmirtz didn't answer.

"I need a girl," Charliana said suddenly. "It's only fair; another beautiful, sweet princess to raise in Evanessa's stead." She paced around the room, thinking out loud. "The people would understand." Doofenshmirtz watched her warily.

"Yes; that's perfect! One of those peasant girls that no one would ever miss or care about. The simple fools would even be glad to hear of such a lowly citizen becoming a princess. Of course!" The queen turned to her advisor. "Heinz, bring me one."

"One what?" Doofenshmirtz asked, puzzled.

"A girl, you idiot. She must be beautiful, but not too beautiful. Hmm. Maybe we'd better make her about fifteen or sixteen so that she's still young. Not as old as Evanessa, but very innocent and sweet-can you do this?"

Doofenshmirtz flinched at the mention of his daughter's name. He turned to face the queen. "I can," he replied, "but what happens when this peasant girl grows to be like Evanessa-the fairest?" The queen's hard stare didn't falter.

"Get out of here," she ordered.

* * *

_Doofenshmirtz' POV_

She told me to get out, so I did, my breath catching in my throat from sheer anger. Who does she think she is, anyway? She thought she could just go ahead and cause the death of another poor girl? What, were girls just some commodity, some resource that she could exhaust, if necessary? I knew they weren't-they seemed very rare back in my day, and I used to be scared of them.

But I couldn't let my thoughts wander at the moment. I'd left my former nemesis upstairs in a room that I wasn't supposed to know about. But if she didn't want anyone going in there, she should have barricaded the door with those spells of hers, and shouldn't have made the password so obvious. She probably thought I was too stupid to figure it out. I'm good at passwords.

I reached the door and stood in the right spot, waiting for the three different colored jewels to appear. When they did, I put my hand on each one in a special order. _Green, blue, red-or was it red, green, blue? _I tried each one. It turned out to be _blue, red, green._ Oh, well. At least I remembered. The door swung open, revealing a bare room, empty except for a huge book on a raised stone stand, and behind it, a gleaming silver mirror on the wall.

"Perry the Platypus!" I yelled, quite loudly. The platypus stepped cautiously out into a patch of sunlight shining in from a high window. He looked annoyed. I wondered why. It wasn't as if anyone could hear us. Well, maybe there was a chance. But then again, who would be walking through this seemingly deserted part of the palace? The maids are ordered never to come here. Perry the Platypus needn't be so jumpy. He never really settles down.

I had to stay focused. It had always been hard for me to do, and now, with Evanessa gone, I'd decided I was probably going mad for certain this time. But before I did, I had to complete all of my weekly missions with my nemesis-turned-partner. I opened the book and removed the small bundle of parchment hidden in its pages. Solemnly, I passed it to Perry. "I won't be able to come here again for awhile, Perry the Platypus," I told him. "I have an assignment to complete. It's cross-country!" He chattered, and although I couldn't understand the strange language, I knew he was upset.

"Well, don't blame me; I don't even know who you're working with," I reminded him. "I risk my neck every week trying to copy the spells in this book, and I can hardly figure out the ancient language they're written in. You really should appreciate me more, Perry the Platypus-" I stopped as I realized that the little fellow was looking for something on the floor, still absentmindedly listening to me as he searched.

I glanced down and saw the object laying on the floor: A tiny green pointed cap with a white feather sticking up out of it. I didn't see why Perry still insisted on wearing it; the organization he'd belonged to had died out long ago. In fact, I was pretty sure that Perry was the only one left. But he clung to that silly piece of cloth as if it was all that was left of a freer, happier time. Which in a way, it was.

Perry chattered at me, and I realized I'd picked up the little cap and had been turning it over in my hand instead of giving it to him. I went to my knees and placed the hat on his head. We regarded each other solemnly for a moment.

"We have to do this for Eve," I said firmly, remembering my daughter at that very moment. I pushed the memories aside and lifted Perry to the windowsill. He strapped the parchment bundle to his back and dropped out. I leaned against the wall, listening until I could no longer hear him scampering down the side of the castle using the ivy vines that grew there. He'd carry the parchment to whoever his partners were. I think they lived somewhere in the vast woods between the palace and the villages, but I couldn't be sure. Perry the Platypus never told me. They'd work through the ancient language that I copied from the book whenever I could, translate the spells, and perhaps, learn a way to defeat the queen from the secrets of her magic book.

Personally, I didn't know if they'd be successful or not. I'd grown even more pessimistic, if that was at all possible, since Evanessa's death. At the moment, though, I'd done my part. I had to get out of that room and prepare for my journey to find a pretty girl. That would be a disaster in itself. Charliana should never have trusted me with that job. She probably won't like whatever I manage to come up with.

I stepped out of the room and shut the door, glad to be out of there. Evil was something I could live with, but evil magic gave me the creeps. I swore I could almost see a face watching me in that mirror of hers sometimes.

* * *

"Um, sir, should we continue?" Carl asked, looking up from the book. "The lights are acting abnormally again." Major Monogram stood and peered at the ceiling.

"I don't know, Carl. It's pretty interesting, but maybe we should stop due to some revealing parallels in the storyline."

"Aw, you just don't like it that your agency died out in the ancient days, so you don't get a part," Doofenshmirtz called out before realizing what he'd done and ducking under the table again.

"That has nothing to do with it!" Monogram protested. "And don't think I can't see you, Heinz. We know you're here, and your nemesis is still trying to find out what you're up to. Oh, and I am most certainly _not _in an agency," he added, turning to the crowd.

"Oh, come on! Your name is _Major_ Monogram, and you just gave it away with that speech," Doofenshmirtz gleefully pointed out.

"Oh, yeah? Well-" Luckily for the major, the lights went out at that point. Squeals and gasps resounded throughout the room. After some scuffling, the ceiling lights flickered back on. The hotel manager was standing in the middle of the room.

"Sorry, everyone, but due to a sudden and unexplainable snowstorm, Danville is snowed in," he explained.

"What? Can we get out of here?" Linda asked.

"Definitely not tonight, ma'am. The streets aren't safe. We have a backup generator here, so we suggest you stay," the manager replied.

"Sweet! It'll be like a sleepover!" Isabella piped up.

"An expensive one," Lawrence noted. "Oh, well. It looks like we have no choice."

"If you have to stay more than two nights, it'll be on the house," the manager offered. "They'll probably have the streets plowed and safe by then."

"Well, we do have plenty of flashlights," Carl said cheerfully. "How about finishing this chapter before we all find rooms?" He opened the book.

Major Monogram walked over to Doofenshmirtz. "Was this your doing?" he demanded.

"Oh, lay off it, Francis. I just wanted to hear the rest of the story without having to drive down every day," the doctor replied. "It's much more convenient. Perry the Platypus wouldn't come in, for some reason. I call that a forfeit. So, my snowed-in-inator actually worked!"

"Oh, brother," Major Monogram muttered.

"Come on, admit it! It'll be fun this way!"

"Will not," Major Monogram muttered.

"Will too!"

"Will not!"

"Will too!" Carl found his place just then and started reading again.

* * *

_The Village-Isobel's POV_

Everything is deceptively beautiful in the summer. The fish are swimming in the stream, their silver scales gleaming, the birds are singing in every tree, and the sun shines down on the villagers. It's almost enough to make me forget that I live in a dangerous land, across the stream from a family of assassins. The hedge behind our hut makes it obvious. I know there's a house behind it, and sometimes, I can feel someone watching me.

Mother assured me that the queen would never care about peasants, but I still got nervous sometimes. What Mother didn't know is that I still carry something that Father gave me before he died. It's a small matter, perhaps, and I don't know how anyone could find out about it, but…maybe someone did. I'm breaking the law by even possessing it, I know.

That day, I was picking berries downstream from our hut. I hated the job; it wasn't as cheery or easy as it sounded, especially since the crops were failing and I had to endure the sharp thorns pricking my arms in order to reach the shriveled berries. But peasants needed every scrap of food they could find, so instead of complaining, I began to sing instead.

_The baker's boy could climb with ease,_

_ And his shrill triumph filled the trees,_

_ Until the woodcutter came along_

_ And ended his mocking, taunting song,_

_ And ended his youthful glee._

Father used to sing the song all the time. He wasn't a woodcutter, but he made axes, swords, and knives for Tristaria's craftsmen and warriors. When the queen came into power, though, he'd refused to equip an army that would do nothing but evil. Mother suspected that he died because of that position.

"Ow!" I yelped as another thorn dug into my arm. I plucked it out and flung it to the ground. Pushing my thick hair back from my sweaty forehead, I stomped my foot. It was getting much too hot to be out here, anyway. Maybe I could go-

I froze suddenly, hearing a sniffle followed by a grunt. The dense bushes ahead rustled. I'd disturbed some kind of wildlife with the noise I'd been making. Picking up my tin pail, I began to back away slowly. Nothing really dangerous came near the village-at least not very often…

The animal reared up and started walking toward me, and I gasped. It was a brown bear, about four feet tall; not too enormous, but very powerful. It must have been charting new territory, and now I was in the middle of it. I knew the safest thing to do was keep backing quietly away, stand tall if he charged me, and lie flat on the ground if he attacked me outright, but I tripped over a root, and a little startled shriek escaped me.

The bear charged, so I ducked behind a tree and pulled out my dagger. The tiny steel blade had never been used. It was the last one Father ever made, and he gave it to me the last time he saw me. It was taking a risk-I was only six years old at the time-but I knew the gift was important and had kept it hidden for ten years. Peasants weren't allowed to have weapons. The dagger was the only way to defend myself, but the blade was only three inches long. Father used the last of his steel to make it, and decided it was small enough for me. But, it wasn't any good at close range, and I was too bad a shot to throw it.

The bear got too close to the tree, so I edged away until I stepped on a moist, gravelly surface and realized that I'd almost waded into the stream. Nearly paralyzed by fear, I turned my head, wildly, looking for help. Good thing I did, too, because the bear's front paw came down just then, raking four claws along my left cheek. If I'd been facing it still, both my eyes would have been blinded.

I screamed loudly, in pain and terror this time, and dropped the dagger as the bear reared up. I fell to the ground and squeezed my eyes shut, waiting to feel claws tearing me apart. It was a terrible, chaotic moment; I thought I heard a faint cry followed by footsteps running toward me, but I wasn't sure.

I heard a rush of air and felt the bear fall to the ground, but it landed beside me, not on top of me. I opened my eyes and saw the beast, dead, with a sword sticking out of its back. Behind it, there was a figure in a black cloak and hood. When he bent over the bear and pulled the sword out, a bit of fiery red hair fell over his forehead. That was the only clue I had to his identity.

He came toward me, pulling his hood farther over his face. Strangely, I wasn't afraid, but then, he didn't look too fearsome after the bear. He ripped some fabric off of the bottom of his cloak, dipped it into the water of the stream, and gently touched it to the injured side of my face. He was careful to stay an arm's length away from me and to keep his head turned away, however.

"Thank you for saving me," I said shakily. He looked down and muttered something in a raspy voice.

"_Snow_." He didn't say anything more, and I couldn't determine what that word meant for a second. Then, I realized that he was referring to me.

"I'm Isobel," I said. He gave me the cloth and dropped his hand. I couldn't help staring at him. He was so strange, shifting his feet as if he wanted to talk, but not saying a word.

"What's your name?" I decided to ask. He gave me another sidelong glance, and I thought I caught a glimpse of desperate blue eyes. Suddenly, though, he bolted, running away from the stream and back toward the hedge. I gathered my skirts and ran after him.

"Wait! Come back! I just want to know-" I stopped short as I realized what he was doing. He stopped at the hedge and looked back at me one more time. Then, he disappeared right through it.

I threw my head back. Perfect. He was one of those assassins! I made my way back to the bank of the stream and retrieved my dagger. Was he spying on me for some reason? Had he seen the dagger? And why would a young assassin risk his life to save a peasant girl he'd named Snow?

Nothing made sense to me. I ran my hand over my smarting cheek. The wounds would hurt for awhile and maybe leave ugly scars, but at least the scratches weren't too deep. I certainly owed the assassin, if he truly was an assassin, a huge debt of gratitude, no matter why he'd been watching me.

If he saved me, maybe he wouldn't report me. Anyway, I couldn't worry about the assassin now. I had to get back to the village and warn the other peasants about the bear. I sheathed my dagger, picked up my pail, and ran all the way home.

* * *

_Phineas' POV_

I was still shaking as I slipped back through the hedge, but I didn't forget to clean my sword on the grass. Ferbison would notice if there was even a spot of blood on the blade. He knows I avoid hurting anything, even little animals. In fact, the bear was the first thing I'd ever killed. Now, as I thought back on it, I wondered how I'd done it. There was no time to think; I just heard a scream, Snow's scream, and ran to her.

I had been out in a light cloak and hood, courtesy of Ferbison prodding me outside to practice stealth and camouflage. I didn't think anyone could either be stealthy or manage to blend in with anything in the dead heat of summer with an extra layer of clothing on, but Ferbison apparently disagreed with me. It couldn't wait until autumn, or at least until my birthday was over; no, I had the garment pulled over my head and was pushed out the door. I would be difficult and pretend not to understand Ferbison unless he speaks to me, but his expressions and actions speak for him all too clearly. So, I ended up outside anyway.

Then, I heard Snow-Isobel-screaming, and I just grabbed my sword and squeezed through the hedge. It's funny that I disobeyed so quickly when, for years before, I've stood in front of the thin spot in the hedge, thinking, "I could go visit the village. No one would know who I am, and it would be fine. Just once," but never had the courage to actually go. Back there, I made the decision in two seconds.

I'd seen her, learned her name-even touched her. It made her seem more real. Certainly, meeting her made for the best birthday ever. But it doesn't matter, because I can never go back. If I see her again, and anyone finds out, we could both get into trouble.

I hurried back up to the house to find Ferbison waiting for me. "Can't I stop now?" I asked. He hesitated, but nodded finally. I pulled the cloak off and started for the house. He followed, scrutinizing my sword as he went. I held my breath, but he dropped it in the weapon rack in our room as usual. He didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.

"Ferbison," I burst out as we got ready for dinner, "is it wrong to visit other people?" He turned around and gave me a grim look, but I had to keep going now that I'd spoken up.

"I know that we are supposed to keep ourselves apart from all humans, but what if we meet someone? What if we can't stay away?" I stopped myself as Ferbison stared at me. His face changed, almost imperceptibly. His eyes glinted with some secret knowledge.

He shook his head urgently and drew a finger across his throat. I realized, then, that he was looking at me with concern. His eyes bore into me until I couldn't stand it and left the room.

Maybe Ferbison was just trying to protect me for my own good. Anyway, his warning wouldn't go unheeded. I wouldn't see Isobel again.

As long as Ferbison was concerned for me and proud of me, that was all I needed.

* * *

"And that was chapter two," Carl finished, putting the book down. "It's quite late. We should all go to bed."

"Yes!" Doofenshmirtz shot out of his seat. "I get the upstairs suite!"

"Dream on, Heinz," Monogram countered.

"I will, on a comfy mattress while you only get the regular rooms. Come on, Vanessa! You can have the one next door," Doofenshmirtz called. Vanessa sighed and got up from the table.

"I guess worse things have happened than getting buried in snow while visiting a four-star hotel," she commented. "I've got to see to Dad. See you tomorrow." Ferb waved as she walked away.

"Come along, kids. Let's find a room," Lawrence called. Phineas and Ferb parted ways with Isabella and were soon settled into a room of their own.

"Good thing these places have complementary nightclothes," Phineas remarked, bouncing onto the king-sized bed. The little boy soon became lost in the covers.

"Yes, but I'm not so crazy about wearing hotel staff uniforms tomorrow," Ferb replied.

"There's got to be something different for us to wear. Maybe the guests that stay here can help. Anyway, we get to wash our clothes in the sinks like they did in the old days," Phineas whispered back cheerfully. Ferb smiled briefly and pulled the covers over his brother.

Thinking about the book and Vanessa, Ferb soon drifted off into sleep. Phineas, however, wasn't the type of boy to drop off quickly, especially in a new environment, and ended up sliding out of bed. He tiptoed to the door and wandered down the grand staircase. Realizing people were still in the foyer, he gasped and darted into a side room. He bumped into someone and cried out.

"Shh!" the person hissed. Phineas turned to find Isabella standing there in her floor-length white nightgown.

"Oh. You couldn't sleep either, huh?" Phineas said. Isabella sat on the loveseat.

"No. The whole thing's too exciting!" She curled up and giggled. "I like staying here."

"Yeah, it sure does feel mysterious." Phineas sat beside her and chattered on while Isabella leaned her head against the couch and watched him.

Ferb awakened later that night and rolled sleepily into Phineas' side of the bed before he realized what he was doing, and then realized that Phineas wasn't there. After a quick search of the room, Ferb pulled a robe and his tennis shoes on and opened the bedroom door.

He almost bumped into Vanessa. She had a glass of water in one hand; the other was poised to knock on the door. They gasped at the same time, and then she chuckled quietly.

"Looking for your brother?" she whispered. Ferb nodded, and she pulled him after her. "Come on." She led him to the side room, slipping past the people in the foyer, and opened the door.

Phineas and Isabella were asleep on the loveseat, Isabella leaning contentedly against her crush, and Phineas' arm around her. Ferb and Vanessa smiled at the picture.

"Aren't they cute?" Vanessa whispered. "She's got quite a thing for him, hasn't she?"

Ferb nodded. "And he has no idea." Vanessa smiled, and Ferb stared at her for a moment. Then, he moved forward and shook Phineas' shoulder gently.

"Ungh," Phineas murmured. His eyes opened, and he glanced around confusedly.

"Ferb? Vanessa?" He moved his arm. "Isabella! How'd we get down here?"

"I wouldn't know, but you really should sleep in your own bed," Vanessa admonished with a smile. Isabella woke up, raised her head, and started untangling her hair from Phineas' fingers.

"I couldn't sleep," she murmured. Ferb sent her a knowing look, and she wrinkled her nose at him.

"Yeah, well, what about you two?" she returned, glancing pointedly at Vanessa.

"What?" Phineas and Vanessa asked at the same time. Ferb sighed and took Phineas' arm.

"Come on, everyone. Back to bed." The group said goodnight again and separated, this time to stay in bed until morning.

* * *

_**Okay, I see the routine developing here; darker content in the alternate reality and fluff in the 'actual' Danville. I think it's a nice balance. Anyway, please review :) See you soon!-Laptop**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Excuses for not updating! I've got good ones :p**_

_**I've started taking advanced online courses on weekdays, which means that unlike some of you guys, I don't have most of the day to write anymore in summer. So, updates take longer :( I will try my best.**_

_**I was also sick all weekend, which was why I took a while to answer a few reviews.**_

* * *

Chapter Three

* * *

Phineas, Ferb, and Isabella awakened early the next morning and ended up sitting on the polished tiles of the foyer near the front door, wondering what to do until everyone else came downstairs. Phineas said something about tunneling out under the snow, but the other two vetoed his idea.

"There's no way we could get under that mess without some sort of equipment," Isabella pointed out. "You couldn't even open the door without being buried in snow!"

"That could be fun," Phineas said. Ferb sat down firmly against the door and crossed his arms. "Okay, okay, I get it," Phineas laughed, backing away from the door.

A strange rumbling noise came from somewhere below the ground level. The children looked at the floor, and Phineas put his ear to the ground.

"That sounds weird," Isabella remarked. "I hope they're not having problems with the heating systems."

"That could really be a problem," Phineas said worriedly.

"Hey, guys. What's going on?" Vanessa walked toward the gang, and Ferb turned a bit pink. The Goth girl looked quite different in a white shirt with a bow tie and black short skirt, obviously borrowed from the hotel staff.

"There are strange noises coming from the basement," Isabella told her.

"It's probably my dad. He can't figure out how to turn off his snow machine, or whatever it is. He sneaked it to the lower level when no one was looking, and now it's taking too much power from the backup generator."

"You mean to say your father is behind this unearthly weather?" Ferb asked.

"Pretty much." Vanessa nodded matter-of-factly. "He's an evil scientist; that's kind of what they do." Phineas and Ferb exchanged glances as Major Monogram and Carl rushed past the group to the basement, yelling at each other in worried tones.

"Don't worry. It'll all blow up sooner or later," Vanessa assured the children unconcernedly.

"Okay…" Phineas replied, staring in the direction that Major Monogram and Carl had gone.

The OWCA employees raced downstairs and kicked the basement door down to find Doofenshmirtz with a wrench and pliers, trying to switch his machine off. The white, Christmassy looking invention had a pipe attached to a wall and a power cord attached to the backup generator. Doofenshmirtz looked up as Monogram and Carl advanced.

"Kicking doors down was never my strong suite. I wish we had Agent P in here," Monogram whispered to his intern.

"Oh, good! Just the people I wanted to see," Doofenshmirtz said nervously. "It looks like my mission was accomplished all too well. Perry the Platypus is stuck outside because the snow is too deep, and platypuses are accustomed to much warmer climates. But now, without him, I can't turn the machine off."

Carl examined the machine. "I don't see any on and off switches, or self-destruct buttons, sir," he reported.

"Oh, great! Just when we need a self-destruct button, you have to leave one off!" Major Monogram scolded.

"I was in a hurry," Doofenshmirtz defended himself. Major Monogram shook his head.

"If this keeps making snow, the tri-state area will be covered in a few days," Carl said worriedly.

"What?" Monogram and Doofenshmirtz cried at the same time.

"Well, I guess that's a novel way to take over the tri-state area," Doofenshmirtz commented. "Although, that's not how I envisioned it at all…"

"That's not the worst part," Carl cautioned.

"What is the worst part?" Monogram asked.

"The backup generator could shorten out from all the power any time," Carl replied.

The major's eyes narrowed. "That could leave the entire hotel in darkness and extreme cold," he stated. "Not to mention that the whole place could collapse if the snow keeps coming down." There was a pause.

"Well, there's only one thing to do," Major Monogram declared.

"What's that, sir?" Carl inquired.

"Go upstairs and read another chapter of that book," Monogram replied. "Keep the people distracted from their probable fate."

"Aren't we going to tell the people?" Carl asked.

"No. There's too much risk of a panic. That's the last thing we need right now," Monogram responded. "If anyone opened a door, the snow would flood in and weaken this building a whole lot faster."

"So, on with the show, I guess," Doofenshmirtz said, edging for the door. Monogram glared at him.

"If we get out of this alive, you're going to be shipped to prison faster than anyone can say your last name."

"Yeah, but it'll probably be warmer there by the time this is over!" Doofenshmirtz retorted, scampering out of the basement.

Phineas and Ferb's heads turned as Doofenshmirtz ran past them. "Hey Dad, did your machine blow up yet?" Vanessa called after him.

"Not exactly," Doofenshmirtz shouted back.

"Come on," Carl said to the little group before Doofenshmirtz could elaborate. "We're going to read another chapter over breakfast."

"Okay."

"Cool!"

"Sounds good." Phineas and Isabella scampered after Carl with Vanessa and Ferb right behind them.

" Everyone, gather around for chapter three!" Carl announced to the people standing nearby with an attempt at cheerfulness.

* * *

_Isobel's POV_

It had been a few days since the encounter with the assassin, and I was relaxing into my old habits. The usual monotony set in; I'd work with my mother to repair the thatch roof, fish, weed our tiny vegetable garden, or whatever else needed to be done. When my work was finished, I would spend my few spare moments with my friends from the village. They were two boys, the only young people about my age. Sometimes, we would all be working outside together, and since our pieces of land were so small and right next to each other, we could easily talk to one another.

It was on one of those days that it had happened. I was scolding Buthor, the stronger, stocky boy, for pestering Baljet, a skinny, nervous boy who claimed to come from the mystical land of India. We had started throwing weeds at each other, laughing when they missed their marks, when a coach pulled up. The deep blue and gold color of it meant that it carried some important member of the palace.

"Maybe we should hide," Buthor muttered as the coach pulled up.

"No, keep calm," Baljet cautioned. "Royalty never bothers about peasants. It will pass by." But contrary to Baljet's prediction, the coach didn't pass by. Instead, it stopped in the road in front of our hut. We stepped out of our gardens and hurried toward the coach.

"Should I call Mother?" I wondered aloud. The boys shrugged. The door opened, and a strange looking official stepped out.

"You," he said, pointing at me. I stepped forward calmly, trying not to look like my heart was pounding. Maybe the assassin had reported me!

"Yes?" I squeaked. "What is it?" My mother appeared at the door, then, and I took comfort in that.

"I'm sure you've read the queen's royal degree," the official said. "I am the advisor and ambassador representing her. I've been travelling across the country to find a girl for her to raise as a princess in the stead of our-her daughter, the late Evanessa-"

"We know the princess died," my mother interrupted. She came up behind me and put her hands on my shoulders. "We heard nothing about any such degree."

"Really?" The advisor actually looked uncomfortable. "It's been hanging up in the marketplace for about three days now."

"We're peasants! We can't afford most of what they sell in the marketplace, and many times, we're not even allowed there," my mother cried.

"I'm sorry. It's the queen's orders. Your daughter is very fortunate, really." The advisor shrugged apologetically. Two armed guards climbed down from either side of the coach, their hands on their sword hilts.

Buthor and Baljet backed away. Mother slowly let go of me. I turned and looked at her and saw that she was trying not to cry. The guards took my hands firmly before I could hug her.

They put me into the coach, and I looked out the back window at my mother. She was running along behind the coach, yelling something I couldn't hear over the pounding of the horses' hooves. I couldn't think, couldn't ask questions; couldn't cry. It was all happening much too quickly.

I sat back as a cloud of dust obscured everything I had ever known. The advisor, who was sitting opposite from me, tried to smile encouragingly.

"The ride is only a few hours," he said to me. "We'll be there soon. It's nice at the palace," he added.

He had a strange accent, just like the rich, soft seats and the extravagantly painted ceiling were strange, and I wasn't going to talk to him. Instead, I pulled my hair farther over my face and huddled against my seat as my companion haltingly tried to explain to me what it was like to be a princess.

We arrived at the palace many hours later and were taken to the throne room straightaway. I had no idea how to act when presented to the queen. I was terrified, really, and expecting some evil-looking, horrible woman.

The doors opened, and the queen's advisor led me up to the throne. I caught my first glimpse of Queen Charliana and saw that she was nothing like I had expected. She was beautiful; she would have been strikingly so if not for a slight paleness, a failing somewhere in her complexion. Her indifferent expression turned to cool appraisal as she looked at me.

"Excellent," she remarked, stepping down from her throne. "Heinz, you finally did something right. What is your name, child, and how old are you?"

I started, realizing her last question was addressed to me. "My name is Isobel, and I'm sixteen, your majesty," I barely whispered.

"A peasant, much too obviously," the queen observed, frowning at my plain brown dress. "Well, you needn't stand there shaking like a leaf. No one is going to hurt you." She lifted my chin, and my hair fell back from my face. The queen frowned and examined the scars from the bear's claws.

"Scratches!" She turned me toward her advisor. "Didn't I tell you to check for things like this?"

"I thought she looked all right," the advisor protested lamely.

"All right!" The queen pushed me away disgustedly.

"I think the room looks brighter already," the advisor said hastily. The queen relaxed slightly. I looked from one to the other of them, trying to understand what they were talking about.

"You had better hope so, for both of your sakes," the queen murmured at last. Before I had time to be frightened by that remark, she took me by the hand and led me toward a glowing jewel in the middle of her throne room.

"Put your hand on that," the queen instructed me.

"I might break it," I said nervously. I had never seen, much less touched, something of that value. The queen only laughed.

"Nothing in the world could break that diamond," she said in a low, serious tone. "I wouldn't have it here if it was in danger of being broken."

I put my hand on the diamond and gasped at the result. Two shafts of brilliant, pure white light shot out from the gem and lit up the room. The queen was obviously satisfied. I took my hand away. The light filtered through the room.

"Perfect," the queen said. "Bright, but not too bright. Not yet, anyway." She rang a bell. "A maid will come and show you to your room, young lady," she told me. "I want you bathed thoroughly and dressed in something decent. Twice a day, I will require your presence in the throne room. The diamond is a very sensitive measure of the health of the kingdom. You are familiar with the legend, aren't you?"

I vaguely remembered Father telling me stories of a diamond that was prized by the entire kingdom. Different kinds of light would tell of invaders, sickness, or unrest in the kingdom when the royal family touched it. "I think so, your majesty," I replied.

"Good. I had no doubt you were intelligent." The queen sounded sarcastic. I was glad when a maid appeared and led me out of throne room.

The advisor followed us out and put his hand on my shoulder. "You'd best be careful," he warned me in a low tone. "The most she can manage is two shafts of light-"

"Heinz!" the queen's voice echoed from the throne room. The man sighed and hurried away. I looked questioningly at the maid, but her face remained impassive.

"You're so lucky," the maid said as I followed her up a winding staircase. "You've got the princess' room, you know. It hasn't been redecorated yet, but you've only got to ask, and I'll see that it gets looked into."

"Thank you," I said.

"Oh, it's my job. I'm your personal maid," she replied.

"Really?"

"For certain. Here we are!" She opened a door and handed me the key.

The first thing I noticed was the size of the room. It was five times as big as our hut back home! I had never seen or imagined anything like it.

The second thing, though, was the décor. Everything was black: The curtains, the rugs on the floor, the bedspread…I shuddered. This went entirely against my cheerful nature.

For now, though, I would have to live with it. After dinner inside my room and a bath, my maid dressed me in a long black nightgown that was too big for me and left me to my thoughts. Sitting there in a chair, alone in the vast room, I shuddered. Nothing was familiar. I wished I could have kept my dress, but I think the maid burned it.

I went to the window and opened it. The castle was situated on a high mountain, and the view I had was practically eye level with the moon. It was lovely, but there was no way to escape through this room unless I wanted to drop two hundred feet.

I looked at the moon, the stars and the silhouettes of pine trees far in the background for a while, wondering what the advisor meant by two shafts of light. When I was too exhausted to think anymore, I went to bed. The dark room had an ominous feel about it, but I was too tired to be scared, which was what I had counted on. With no idea what would happen to me tomorrow or how the rest of my life was to play out, I fell asleep.

* * *

"That poor girl," Isabella said sympathetically.

"I wonder what the queen is going to do with her," Phineas added.

"The diamond is clearly the crux of the mystery," Ferb remarked.

"Yeah, tell us something we don't know," Vanessa snapped at him unexpectedly, snapping her cell phone shut. Ferb sat back quietly as Vanessa muttered something under her breath.

"Hey, that's not nice," Isabella defended her friend. Vanessa sighed.

"Sorry, Ferb. I just-sorry," she murmured. Suddenly, Vanessa got up and walked away.

"Audience, please," Carl called out over the crowd. Everyone fell silent as he began to read again.

* * *

_Phineas' POV_

Ferbison went hunting early today, so he didn't see what happened. I heard horses this afternoon and went to my spot in the hedge. They took Isobel today. I'd seen the queen's degree in the marketplace, but I never thought Isobel would be the one chosen.

I should have, though. She's lovely, graceful; she'd make a perfect princess. I should be happy for her, I guess. Maybe she'll have a better life there. I wouldn't have seen her again, anyway.

I have enough to worry about now that I'm sixteen, sitting here waiting for the queen to summon me to kill someone. I'm not even sure how I'd do in a fight to the death. Father says I'll have to build more muscle before I can do anyone harm, and that's probably true. No one that I have to assassinate had better fight back, or I'll probably die. Maybe that would be better than killing someone myself.

I can't even hunt. Ferbison has stopped making me go with him lately. Sometimes, he stays out for two or three days at a time. Mother worries about him. I know how she feels; I worry about Perry, my pet, when he's gone that long. Ferbison always brings Perry back when he wanders, though.

I wish I hadn't taken that picture down from our bedroom wall. That was when all the trouble started. Maybe all this is my fault. I've been trying to practice harder, but Ferbison barely notices now. He's preoccupied with other things that he still won't talk about. I wonder if he knows about Isobel being taken to the palace. I doubt it, though. Ferbison has only been to the palace once, as far as I know.

I think the writing on the back of that picture of the princess was wrong. It said that she was the fairest. I'm not belittling the princess. Evanessa was beautiful, to be sure.

But I think Isobel is the fairest girl I've ever seen.

I've got to go inside now. I hope Ferbison comes back soon. He should be home by now. It's too dark to see anything through the hedge, but I hear a woman crying. I hope everything will be all right on the other side of my world, where Snow used to live.

* * *

_Ferbison's POV_

I slipped into the woods with my bow taut just in case. By this time, the routine had been established. I usually wouldn't take so much caution, but one of the scouts had warned me that the queen's coach had been seen in our area recently. I didn't like that. If the queen had found out anything, my companions and I could pay with our lives.

These journeys were always bittersweet. I left with the knowledge that I was doing something to restore peace and harmony to our land. And yet, I couldn't tell Phineas what I was doing. I had one goal where he was concerned: Keep him safe and ready to obey any orders until the queen's reign was over. If everything went according to plan, it would be over in about a month. Anything my brother had to do between now and then would pale in comparison to the freedom he'd live to experience if he simply complied with the queen's demands.

It wasn't likely that the queen would call him for duty before we overthrew her. I wished sometimes that I could reassure Phineas of this, but I thought it best to keep quiet until our plan came together. He'd understand when it was all over.

After an hour of travelling in the summer heat, I reached the house in the woods. I knocked seven times, and the door swung open.

"Here you go," one of the band hissed. She handed me my pet platypus, still wearing his little cap. I'd found out about a month ago that Perry belonged to an extinct, secret magical organization that transformed mindless animals into cunning spies through some kind of sorcery. Perry wanted my help and had led me here.

It turned out that the female group of revolutionaries who lived in a cottage in the woods had needed someone who could translate runes. Perry thought that I'd be sympathetic to their cause after Evanessa, which I was. Most of the book they were studying was written in an ancient language that the girls understood, but there were a few runes, and whoever had copied them didn't have the neatest handwriting. I'd studied many alphabets and was able to decipher the runes.

I even liked the girls. They'd risked everything several times, and I was deeply thankful when I discovered one of the dangerous secrets that they held. Their grammar and etiquette was a little rough for females, but then, they were revolutionaries.

"Thank you, Adyson. What did Perry bring today?" I asked.

"Another few pages." Adyson opened the door just wide enough for me to squeeze inside. "But these were more interesting than usual. I think we may have finally gotten to the bottom of this diamond nonsense."

So whoever was giving the information to Perry had outdone himself or herself. This was what we'd been waiting for. I bent over the parchment, quickly reading over the material as the girls gathered around me.

_ The royal family of Tristaria have been able to keep the land in good health for decades by drawing light from the diamond that has ever remained in the throne room. However, only a goodhearted ruler with the best interest of the kingdom can bring out pure white light from the diamond. If the leaders are selfish, blue, black, or faint light can occur, and the entire domain will weaken. Then, the diamond will be corrupted, and the light will fail unless the diamond is destroyed._

"If this is true, than the queen would have needed her daughter to keep Tristaria healthy," Ginger, one of the more calculating of the band, pointed out.

"The queen cares nothing about the kingdom," her friend Gretchen replied.

"Yes, but she does care about being invaded. She took another girl today to be a princess and keep the light pure white," Katherine, or Katie, as she liked to be called, remarked.

"Then why would she have Evanessa murdered?" Adyson wondered. I closed my eyes, and the princess' beautiful face flashed before them.

"Jealousy," I said quietly. "Unadulterated jealousy."

"Would she really do that?" Milly asked.

"Probably. Think about it. The diamond can be controlled by goodhearted people. Beautiful people. What if Eve was becoming too powerful, controlling the diamond when her mother couldn't?" Holly pointed out.

"And she didn't like that," Gretchen jumped in. I looked at the six girls gathered around me.

"We have one answer. Now what about the runes, Ferbison?" Adyson asked. I looked at the disorganized letters.

"It's a prophecy," I murmured. "It tells of seven girls, one of them with raven hair and eyes blue as the lake-it goes on for a while about this girl-" I didn't read the rest of the paragraph. I hated the flowery, verbose language. I skipped to the bottom of the page and frowned.

"What is it?" Ginger asked.

"This girl," I picked up, "will defeat Queen Charliana of Tristaria-"

"It's written about our time!" the girls cried.

"-and help to save this land." I looked up from the parchment.

"It must be talking about one of us!" Holly squealed.

"I don't have raven hair," Katie said. "What about Ginger?"

"Do my eyes look blue as the lake?" Ginger demanded.

"Maybe it's a combination of all of us," Gretchen suggested.

"I don't think so. There are only six of us girls right now," Adyson pointed out. A silence fell over the group.

"Whether or not this girl is with us at the moment, this is still a symbol of hope," Gretchen declared. "We should all take heart."

"Anything else, Ferb?" Milly asked. I sighed. I hated it when anyone shortened my name; I didn't even let Phineas get away with it.

At the bottom of the pile of parchment was a note. It read, "The light of the diamond is failing. Section on preparing a sword to destroy the diamond coming next time." I threw up my hands.

"Why couldn't it have come this time?" Holly complained. "We should start working on that sword. It sounds like the diamond has been corrupted, or will be by the time the sword is finished."

"We'll probably have to go through a lot of magical spells," Milly grumbled. I stood up.

"Ferbison has to leave before his family misses him," Gretchen said. "For now, we can do nothing but wait."

I nodded and slipped out the door soon afterwards with Perry. It would be dark soon, and I still had to shoot something on the way home to support my claim that I'd been hunting. The diamond would have to wait.

* * *

"Chapter's over," Carl sang out.

"What?" the audience shouted back.

"Oh, come on! That probably wasn't even a full nine pages on Word!" Major Monogram exclaimed.

"Still, at least we got a little background on the diamond," Carl said.

"Fine, but we still get a chapter later this afternoon, right?" Doofenshmirtz pleaded from his chair.

"Maybe…" Carl teased.

Across the room, Ferb got up from his seat. "I'm going to look for Vanessa," he said, and set off.

"Good luck," Isabella called after him. Phineas stared at her.

"Why'd you say that?" he asked. Isabella sighed.

"No reason, Phineas," she said dryly. "No reason."

"Okay," Phineas replied cheerfully. "I'm tired of sitting. Want to go slide down the bannister of the main stairway using our coat sleeves as bungee cords?"

Isabella raised her eyebrows. "Yes, but how would that work?"

"Easy! We'll take either my coat or yours, it doesn't matter which one, and spray it with special fabric spray that Ferb and I made. It renders fabrics unable to tear. We always travel with some spare aerosol cans of the stuff. We'll go to the top of the stairs, and I'll climb over and hang onto one sleeve, and you hang onto the other sleeve, and we'll slide down together with our weight balancing each other," Phineas explained. Isabella thought for a moment.

"But, wouldn't I bump on the stairs as we slide down?" she asked finally. Phineas frowned.

"Probably," he admitted. "Well, we could always tie a few coats together so each of us can slide down one bannister."

"Brilliant!" Isabella followed Phineas out of the room. Neither they or anyone else noticed an ominous splintering sound as the beams of the roof groaned under their heavy load of snow.

* * *

_**So, I'll update as soon as possible, but I wouldn't be surprised if this story went to 'updated every two weeks' status. Thanks for being patient, and see you soon!-Laptop**_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

* * *

Ferb didn't have far to go to find Vanessa. She was sitting on an ornate bench in the foyer, idly watching Phineas and Isabella attempt to slide down the bannisters. Unobtrusively, he sat beside her.

"I don't want to talk about it," she muttered. "Is it really too much to ask to have someone call you when they don't see you around?" Ferb blinked.

"Fine, so I want to talk about it," Vanessa admitted, facing him. "It's just my boyfriend, Monty."

Ferb blinked again, harder, as Phineas' and Isabella's coats ripped apart and they fell to the floor, laughing.

"It's just that he hasn't called or texted since I came to this hotel. I know he's expecting me to be back by now. I've even called him once, and he didn't answer." Vanessa sighed. "I know his job keeps him busy, but this is ridiculous!"

"Maybe he's just really busy this week," Isabella suggested, skipping toward Ferb and Vanessa. "I guess this coat sleeve is ruined."

"I'll fix it later," Ferb said in a tight tone.

"He had this whole week off," Vanessa replied to Isabella.

"Can you still even receive calls?" Phineas inquired. Vanessa pointed to a man watching the front door of a hotel.

"That guy called for pizza ten minutes ago." She rolled her eyes. "He actually thinks they're going to deliver it here, too."

"Maybe your boyfriend just didn't realize," Isabella suggested.

"We were supposed to go on a date today," Vanessa countered. "I'm five hours late. He still hasn't even called to see what I'm doing instead."

"He might have heard about the hotel being snowed in and just assumed he couldn't reach you," Phineas pointed out. Vanessa brightened up.

"Yeah, that might be it." She paused as a few pieces of plaster fell from the ceiling. "You know, my dad still hasn't said anything about his inator blowing up."

"Is that bad?" Isabella asked.

"I don't know," Vanessa replied with a shrug.

Phineas looked worried. "Maybe Ferb and I should determine exactly how strong this building is," he began, but was cut off by an extremely loud noise.

"Phineas…" Isabella cried, her eyes widening as she pointed to the hall ahead. Phineas gasped. The ceiling was caving in.

"Everyone, run!" Phineas yelled. He grabbed Isabella's hand, Isabella grabbed Ferb's, and the British boy managed to secure Vanessa's hand as she looked absentmindedly up from her phone.

The group raced back inside the room they had come from, tumbling to the floor as a cloud of dust filtered through the area. Monogram and Carl looked up.

"Children! What happened?" Monogram asked as the brothers and the two girls coughed and untangled themselves from each other.

"I don't know, sir. We didn't do it," Phineas replied. "We were just sitting outside talking when one of the minor hallways collapsed."

"Dad," Vanessa growled.

"Sorry." Doofenshmirtz rubbed the back of his neck. "At least it was only one of the minor hallways." At that moment, another thundering noise split the air, and the power went out.

"Think again," Carl scoffed.

"What's going on, here?" several people demanded. Major Monogram sighed.

"Calm down, everyone. We're having a slight problem with the generator right now, but I'm sure everything will be cleared up in no time."

"If the power is out, does that mean the heat is out, too?" Linda asked Lawrence.

"Well, I don't know…" Lawrence's response was drowned out by the worried and angered remarks of the crowd around him.

"Is it getting colder to you?"

"We shouldn't panic. Wait; we could all die in here! Noo!"

"Does this mean the hot tub won't work anymore? Aw, man…"

_"Everyone!"_ The people quieted at the commanding, British voice. Phineas and Ferb had made their way up to the front of the room. Ferb waited until the last voice fell silent, and then handed the flashlight he'd been holding to his brother.

"That second guy was right; we shouldn't panic," Phineas said firmly, shining the light onto his own face. "What we should do is conserve every bit of heat that we can. Also, everyone should stay out of the top levels of the hotel as much as possible. That's what could collapse. The pillars should ensure the lower level's stability."

"That means we can't sleep up there," Candace called.

"Yes. So, why don't all of you go to your rooms and bring mattresses and anything else you need downstairs?" Phineas suggested. "While you do that, Ferb and I could take a look at the machine."

"What could a couple of kids know about engineering and quantum mechanics?" Doofenshmirtz scoffed.

"Ferb and I know lots of things!" Phineas protested immediately.

"Lots of things," Ferb said quietly. Monogram stepped to the boys' side.

"That would be most helpful," the major accepted. "You boys will be heroes if you succeed."

"What are we waiting for?" Phineas asked cheerfully.

"Let's take a walk downstairs," Monogram said. He smacked the back of Doofenshmirtz' chair on his way by. "You, too."

While the guests grabbed their mattresses and any flashlights or complementary scented candles they could find, Phineas and Ferb inspected Doofenshmirtz' inator.

"It looks like a refrigerator," Phineas mused, walking around the machine. "A rather large, well-built refrigerator with a pipe sticking out of the top of it, decorated with holly."

"Yeah, well, didn't you ever have a failed horticulture project you wanted to recycle?" Doofenshmirtz retorted. "Besides, holly fit with the wintery feeling my inator gave to everything."

"Never mind about that. Can you shut this thing down?" Major Monogram asked.

"It'll take some rewiring, know-how, and a lot of time, but yes," Phineas replied. Ferb gave a thumbs-up.

As the major and the evil scientist left the room, Ferb turned to his brother. "Can we?" he asked quietly.

"We have to try," Phineas replied, opening the toolbox marked DEI that Doofenshmirtz had left beside the machine.

Above the basement, Carl picked up a flashlight and walked over to the book. "I'm glad this is still okay," he said, blowing a little sawdust off the cover.

"Yes; we'd have a hard time explaining ourselves to the museum if anything happened to it," Major Monogram agreed. "Carl, I'm going to get some things from my room. You'd better secure anything you need as soon as you can, too."

"Okay, sir," the intern replied. However, faced with an empty room, a book, and a flashlight, Carl soon opened the fairytale to the next chapter and began to read.

* * *

_The Palace-Doofenshmirtz' POV_

It had been two weeks since that little girl was brought to the palace. I'd been able to sneak into the queen's magic room only once. She was more vigilant with a newcomer around. Still, I'd managed to copy down the instructions for constructing a special sword. It apparently required some odd kind of steel that I'd never heard of.

I'd jotted down the last rune when I'd heard the queen coming. I panicked and ran before Perry the platypus had time to get there. I guessed the queen hadn't caught him, because she didn't say anything to me about it. This week, I was on my way to meet Perry again.

I passed the throne room and paused to listen. It was quiet. On a whim, I pushed the door open and peeked inside. All was silent, and I found myself alone except for the diamond turning on its stand before the throne.

The gem had always fascinated me, I had to admit. Casually, I climbed the steps to the throne. Keeping an eye on the diamond, I lowered myself into the golden chair. I still nursed a silly fear that the jewel had taken on too much of Charliana's insanely jealous nature and might harm me somehow.

No one would have to worry about that, though, as soon as the group of revolutionaries crafted the sword and destroyed the diamond. It couldn't happen soon enough for me. The people would be relieved, and there would be an opening for a new ruler. About that time, I could reveal that I was the revolutionaries' contact. I'd be a hero. If I were crowned king, I wouldn't have to worry about the queen killing my daughter, or twisted, malevolent intentions, or semi-aquatic egg-laying mammals of valor…

A sudden noise interrupted my happy daydreaming. I jumped up with a cry, but it was only Perry the platypus, chattering angrily. I hurried down the steps. I should have been in the secret room half an hour ago.

"Sorry, Perry the platypus," I said. "I was detained." I pulled the papers from my jacket and gave them to him. He chattered again, pointing to the huge doors.

"I know it's dangerous for you to come in the throne room," I responded. "But, it's dangerous for me, too!" At that moment, one of the double doors swung open. I gasped and looked around for Perry, but he had already disappeared.

The queen entered, leading the new princess by the hand. I narrowed my eyes; I didn't like that girl too well. She redecorated Evanessa's room in lavender. Lavender! Evanessa would die if she saw it.

Except, Evanessa was already dead. I still had a hard time accepting that.

"I've had a feeling lately that something is wrong," the queen said to Princess Isobel. "There is a disturbance somewhere, perhaps outside the kingdom. I just want you to check one more time."

"If you say so, your majesty," Isobel replied meekly. She tossed her hair back from her face in her usual nervous manner. I noticed that the scratches on her face had healed. Charliana smiled in condescending amusement as she watched the child, but her expression changed when she saw me.

"What are you doing in here?" she demanded. "I didn't send for you."

"I was-well-" I stammered. She rolled her eyes and waved my remarks away.

"Never mind, I want you here, anyway." She turned back to Isobel, watching as the girl put her hand on the jewel.

The brilliant light overpowered everything in the room. The queen gave a cry and looked away. Isobel simply watched the three brilliant beams shooting from the jewel, her mouth turning up into a beautiful smile.

"It is enough!" Charliana shouted furiously. Isobel jerked her hand away.

"There don't seem to be any problems in the kingdom," I noted. The queen glared at me.

"All right," she released Isobel. "You may go." The girl bowed and quickly walked away.

Charliana shook her head, looking from the diamond to Isobel's retreating form. When the girl was gone, she met my eyes.

"You saw it," she said quietly. I inclined my head slightly, waiting.

"I will be busy all this evening. Cancel any business I have for today," the queen directed.

"You don't have any appointments. Remember, all the neighboring kingdoms are quarrelling with us and refuse to visit Tristaria?" I unwisely reminded her.

"Then it should be easy, shouldn't it?" she snapped in return.

"Yes, your majesty," I mumbled. She muttered something under her breath and strode out through a side door.

I turned and looked for Perry. He crawled out from under the queen's throne, and I bent down and handed him the papers. "Here you go. It's always a huge relief to send these off with you," I said. He chattered, looking worried this time. I deduced, after a while, that he was concerned about the new princess.

"I can't help it, Perry the platypus. Maybe she can keep from being killed until the revolutionaries finish their work; maybe not. I can't do anything about it," I reasoned. The platypus looked at me reproachfully.

"You can't help your friends finish translating the book if you're standing here," I said. He turned and scampered out of the throne room.

I decided I'd better leave too, and shut the silver doors behind me. Before I did, though, I took one last glance at the golden throne with the diamond turning before it. I liked that view. The palace is a terrible place to work, but I'd love to rule there.

* * *

_The Woods-Ferbison's POV_

Adyson jerked the cottage door open before I could even knock. I walked in and immediately started examining the parchment spread out on the floor. I didn't have much time tonight. My list of excuses had run low, so I'd ended up simply sneaking out. I ran over the runes quickly until I spotted one that didn't look so familiar.

"Well, what does it say?" Katie asked impatiently. I shook my head, turning the piece of parchment over.

"This rune tells the kind of metal the sword is supposed to be made of," I replied.

"But, you can't read it?" Gretchen asked.

"Estral," I pronounced the word carefully. "That would be the rough translation."

"Have we ever heard of estral?" Milly wondered.

"It's an ancient metal found only in the mines of Tristaria," Ginger reported, taking a book from the shelf. "Blades made of this material were valued for their sharpness and shine. The metal was supposed to hold special magical properties."

"Nothing like that has been seen for centuries," Adyson objected from the door. "What are we going to do, make a journey into the forbidden mines?"

"I hope not. They are guarded so well that we would probably all die," Gretchen pointed out. "Ferbison, you live near a widow of a metal forger. Perhaps you could…acquire some estral from her."

I frowned. I knew what Gretchen meant, but I didn't want to rob anyone. Besides, if that peasant woman had any estral left over from her husband's work, she would have sold it by now. Unless, of course, she had kept it hidden from anyone who might try to use it unwisely. With the queen's guards constantly looking for any kind of magical material, many had locked their precious secrets away.

I nodded and rose, indicating that I had to leave. Before I reached the door, I stopped and looked around hopefully. Milly shook her head.

"She left again, Ferbison," she said. "I don't think she likes staying indoors too much." I started to say something.

"It's all right," Holly assured me. "We're watching her. She won't go too far." I nodded and headed for the door. Adyson grabbed my arm.

"Go now, Ferbison," she instructed. I sighed, but nodded in agreement. If I visited our neighbor now, I could take a shortcut through the woods and get home by cutting through a thin spot in our hedge.

I left the dirt path about fifty yards from the cottage and risked sliding down a steep incline. The dry earth gave after a few uncertain steps, so I ended up dropping to the ground below. Recovering quickly, I ignored the abrasions to my elbows and knees, even under my light cloth outfit, and walked the remaining few miles to my destination.

The hut looked lonely and abandoned as I neared it. I didn't know why it hadn't been left alone before. It was extremely small. I took in the view of the peasant village and sucked in my breath. The "houses" were tiny and dirty, pushed together under the relentless sun. Some were made of poorly stacked logs, but most were formed from mud that had long dried and cracked in the heat. I realized that our hedge had a duel purpose; it was also meant to keep the skilled workers in the queen's service from finding out how the commoners lived.

I drew my sword, ducked under the low roof of the hut, and waited for my eyes to adjust to the dimness. The dwelling was bare except for a cooking pit in the middle of the floor with a pot hanging over it and a two surprisingly ornate rugs hanging on the walls. I fingered the fringe on one of the tapestries. This family must have been wealthy once.

A bit of muted color by the window frame caught my eye. A clay vase with three purple flowers sat on the windowsill, which was strange because the once-bright blossoms had wilted long ago. Studying the blooms, I decided to go home. I couldn't bear to disturb these people any further, and it didn't look like there was any estral here.

As I turned to go, a woman unexpectedly entered the hut. Her eyes widened when she saw me, and she screamed. I heard murmurings outside, as if the whole village had heard the noise. I pushed past her and darted outside.

That was when I saw the tall, skinny figure pressing through the hedge. He spotted me and started to struggle right back through the thorns. I ran after him without another thought and pushed him straight through our barrier. Once we were face to face, I ripped his hood off angrily, demanding an explanation with my eyes. He had no right to be there. Didn't he know he could be killed?

"Ferbison! What are you doing home?" my little brother asked nervously. I frowned at him. "I heard someone screaming down there," Phineas continued. "I went to check. Someone was in trouble there recently, and I thought I could help again." I gave him an incredulous look. What did he mean by _again_?

"I mean, I…" Phineas realized what he had said and tried to backtrack, but his words stumbled to a halt. He shuffled, staring at the ground, until he focused on my drawn blade. His eyes flickered from the sword to my face, and slowly, his expression changed.

"What were you doing there, Ferbison?" he questioned suddenly. I stepped back, realizing I couldn't tell him. He misread my body language.

"I can't believe it! You were oppressing the peasants?" His eyes widened in horror. "I've heard of the queen's guards doing that for sport, but you?" He turned away. I put my hand on his shoulder. He shrugged me off.

"No. I'm not calming down, Ferbison. Did you know that woman recently had her daughter taken away from her?" He stomped away toward the house, flinging his words over his shoulder. "This is a new low, even for you."

I sighed and followed him. That was all I could do for now. I couldn't deny Phineas' claims without explaining why I had done what I did. This meant another evening of silence between us. I wasn't looking forward to that. No one minded silence with me, but it was unbearable for everyone when Phineas didn't talk.

* * *

_The Palace-Charliana's POV_

That evening, I walked alone into my special room and turned to the second page of my magic book. I already had the mirror's spell memorized, but I liked the look of the open book before the silver mirror. I peered at the door and the cracks in the walls, even though the room was locked. One never could be too careful. Satisfied, I began the spell.

_Magic mirror, thy reflection_

_ Shows our souls, our lives' direction_

_ Now, our inner beauty call,_

_ Reveal the fairest of them all._

I had no idea what ancient royal scribe wrote the spell. However, I knew that if I had reigned supreme in that day, I would have beheaded the poet. I watched the silver mist overwhelm the mirror's surface, obscuring my reflection. The new princess had better hope it is my reflection that reappears, I thought.

Instead, the peasant girl's radiant, perfect face appeared in the mirror, surrounded by the three shafts of light. The diamond she touched glowed brighter and brighter, illuminating her until she burned my eyes…

I slammed the book shut with a shuddering gasp. I'd thought so. Even a peasant girl with no background, a laughable upbringing, and an artless face had more power over the diamond than I did. There was only one thing left to do.

I'd taken care of my own daughter; this timid little child would be no difficulty. I left the chamber, locking the door behind me. I only needed my advisor, a small list, and a little time. Then, this would all be over-again.

* * *

_The Palace-Isobel's POV_

Three shafts of light.

Even if the palace wasn't so empty and frightening now that I'd walked around in it for awhile, and the nightgowns fit better and my room was a cheerful color, I was still uneasy. I thought I'd been able to shake that phrase from my memory until the diamond had shot out three shafts of light. The look on the queen's face still sent a shiver up my spine.

After dinner in my room and a long bath, I climbed into bed, pulled the covers up to my chin, and tried not to think about Mother, home, the garden, and my friends. It was the same routine every night, and no one noticed how bored or sad I was.

No one cared that all I wanted to do was go home. I had no idea what was expected of me, or why the queen disliked me. I threw the lavender comforter off in frustration. It was much too early to go to sleep, but I had to do something to escape my own imagination. I kept hearing nonexistent footsteps coming closer to my door.

I wandered out of my room and down a hall, enjoying the feel of the red runner under my feet. The lanterns on that particular hallway were always low, but I could still see the faces on the walls. There must have been three generations of the royal family on the left wall. The only portrait on the wall on the right was the queen's. I shuddered and turned away.

The picture I turned to face on the right showed a beautiful girl in a black gown. I studied the portrait with interest. Could that have been the princess that died? I wished I could bring her back. Everyone in the palace would probably be a lot happier if she were here, and I could go home. I was childishly wishing the girl out of the picture so hard that I didn't hear the footsteps behind me or feel the glow of the torchlight at first.

I finally whirled around and saw the queen's advisor. I shrieked. So did he. It went on until he slapped his hand over his mouth.

"We mustn't be too loud," he warned. "The queen might decide to investigate." I nodded.

"Who is that girl?" I asked in a lower tone. He sighed.

"Princess Evanessa," he replied.

I noticed he was holding an old, red book. "What exactly are you doing here?" I dared to ask.

"I come here and read her stories sometimes," he replied. "She used to love this book when she was little. She was so smart, and very spirited; she would have made a wonderful ruler."

"Can I listen?" I asked. He hesitated for a moment, but shrugged.

"If you want to, but I bet you'll get bored," he replied. He opened the book and began to read. I cocked my head after the first few sentences. I didn't understand the language, but it sounded German. The advisor's strange voice added expression to the story he was reading, so I stayed.

Finally, the sound of a bell interrupted him. "I've got to go," he told me, and hurried away without another word. I sighed and slowly turned away, back to my room. I wished the stories had been in Spanish. I missed the language, and I missed my mother's voice talking in our language even more.

* * *

_The Palace-No POV_

The advisor hurried into the library, tucking a worn book into his jacket. The queen smiled as he arrived.

"Ah, there you are. Is the current list of assassins in Tristaria still in the records?" she asked coolly.

"Yes, your majesty." Doofenshmirtz hurried to one of the shelves and managed to pull out a long list. The queen snatched it and read over the names.

"Ah. Just updated; good." She stopped at a name at the very bottom of the list. "Phineas Flyngard." She showed the name to her advisor. "What do we know about him?"

"He's an assassin from the Eastern part of Tristaria," Doofenshmirtz replied. "He hasn't completed any missions yet. He's the younger stepbrother of Ferbison Fletcher, the previous one we used."

"Is he, now? Well, perhaps we should give this Phineas a chance to prove himself. Ferbison Fletcher did an excellent job when he was here," Charliana mused. She thought for a moment. "He just made it onto the list, so he's still a mere lad. A slight, small girl like Isobel would be a perfect target for such raw talent, don't you think?"

"I suppose," Doofenshmirtz agreed, looking rather sick.

"It's settled. Dispatch a messenger to the Flyngard clan immediately." The queen paused. "And tell this boy that if he succeeds, he will bring as much honor to his family as his older brother."

"Yes, your highness," Doofenshmirtz muttered as the queen swept out of the room.

* * *

"Carl!" The intern jumped, letting the book fall shut. Major Monogram was standing over him.

"Yes, sir?" Carl stammered.

"Were you reading ahead? That's not polite. Besides, I told you to get your things half an hour ago!"

"Well, sir, I was trying to guard this book so that we wouldn't get in trouble with the curator downtown. Remember, he was very miffed when we tried to explain why the museum couldn't display agent T's old fedora last thanksgiving," Carl rambled.

"You read ahead, Carl." Before the conversation could go any farther, an explosion shook the hotel, and the two OWCA employees fell to the floor.

"Do you think that was the machine?" Carl asked. Major Monogram took off for the basement. He almost collided Phineas and Ferb, pounding up the stairs. Phineas in particular was covered in dust.

"What happened?" Monogram asked.

"We have good news and bad news," Phineas said cheerfully. "The good news is, we destroyed the machine."

"What's the bad news?" Carl grimaced as the brothers exchanged glances. "Or, do we want to know?"

"The bad news is, the generator is still warming up. It should be working by tomorrow morning, but it may still fail again after that. At least the power is directed to the hotel again now," Phineas replied.

"I suppose that's better than freezing to death," Major Monogram pronounced. "Carl, I guess you don't have to get your things now that the upper levels aren't going to collapse after all."

"In that case, let's go read another chapter of that fairytale. This one has some interesting developments," Carl said. Major Monogram gruffly agreed.

"Hey, Phineas, I brought your mattress downstairs," Isabella said as the boys walked in.

"Thanks, Isabella. We don't need to sleep down here now, but I guess we still could if we wanted to," Phineas replied. "You and me and Ferb-"

"And Vanessa," Vanessa said, walking up to the group.

"That'll be fun," Phineas declared. "Let's drag the mattress in here so we can sit on something soft while we listen."

"Okay!" Isabella jumped up and down before she realized what she was doing and bounced to a stop.

"I like this story because it has ancient versions of us in it," Isabella said to Phineas in a low tone while Carl read aloud.

"Yeah. I still haven't quite figured out who everyone is, though," Phineas replied. "I know Ferbison is Ferb and I guess Phineas and I have the same first name, but I'm still confused about everyone else."

"Well, Isobel is me," Isabella said. Phineas frowned.

"Wait; that means I have to kill you!"

"Yes, yes it does." She flipped her hair across his shoulder. "Does that disturb you, my good sir?"

"It certainly does, my lady," he answered, playing along for once. "I would never hurt you, Isabella." The Fireside Girl smiled.

"It's just an old fairytale, Phineas," she said.

"Yes, but You're my best friend," Phineas earnestly replied.

Phineas, Isabella, Ferb, and Vanessa ended up falling asleep on the king-sized mattress before the evening was over, unnoticed by the crowd. Their parents had to wake them up to get them to bed. Vanessa pulled her arm off of Ferb and smiled.

"This evening actually was a little fun," she acknowledged. "Sorry for being such a jerk earlier, Ferb."

Ferb smiled and gave a thumbs-up. Doofenshmirtz threw him a backward glare as he shepherded Vanessa away.

"What does that gesture even mean?" he asked Vanessa.

"For Ferb? A lot of things," she said with a laugh, walking ahead of her father toward the stairs.

* * *

_**Sorry for being late again. I've been busy getting ready for a concert later this week. After that, I get a vacation! But since a vacation for me means visiting relatives for a few days, I'll be updating still; maybe even faster than usual.**_

"_**See you soon" isn't working too well :p I'm changing my sign-off. We need more Internet love in this world, so:**_

_**:3,**_

_**Laptop**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**I know, I know. It's been a while. I'm so sorry; I was just going through a very busy period. But hey, I have a chapter (hopefully, not everyone gave up on me :D)**_

* * *

Chapter Five

* * *

Ferb straightened and gave a satisfied nod. Phineas smiled. "Yep. The generator's definitely working today," he announced. "Now, all we have to do is wait for the snow outside to melt."

Major Monogram shook his head. "By that time, it could be summer again."

"You think so?" Phineas asked cheerfully, patting the humming generator.

"We should just be glad it's working," Vanessa chimed in from the door. "Believe me, it usually takes forever to straighten out a mess my dad makes."

"I suppose so," Major Monogram replied. Phineas and Ferb pushed past a group of curious onlookers and went upstairs. Isabella rushed up to Phineas.

"The generator is working again," Phineas announced, earning a bright smile from his friend.

"I thought it warmed up during the night," Isabella replied. "Great work, Phineas." Ferb rolled his eyes.

A song that would have been intrusively loud if it hadn't been muffled began to play. Vanessa reached into her pocket. "Is that noise your phone?" Isabella asked.

"Yes, yes it is. Looks like Monty finally called me back." Vanessa thought for a moment. "I'm going to go find a spot where there's service and have a big argument with him. I'll see you guys later."

Ferb stared sadly after Vanessa. Isabella patted his shoulder.

"It's okay," she attempted to cheer him up. Ferb wandered off in another direction. Phineas turned to Isabella, gestured after his brother, and clicked his tongue.

"Now there is a sad sight, Isabella. I thought that maybe it would be different this time. You know, a boy, a girl, alone in a snowed-in hotel…Isabella?" Phineas looked around, but Isabella had disappeared.

"That's odd," Phineas murmured. He strolled off to find his friend. Unfortunately, the easily distracted young inventor went in the wrong direction, and ended up becoming fascinated with a certain closet on the ground floor of the hotel.

Isabella slowly walked down the dark main hallway upstairs, tears forming in her eyes again. It was upsetting enough that Phineas still hadn't recognized her love, but the fact that she had been able to run upstairs before he even turned his head added insult to injury. Isabella paused as she saw a faint light penetrating the dimness ahead. Recognizing Ferb as the one holding the flashlight, she smiled and hurried to catch up with him.

"You're up here, too, are you," she said lamely. Ferb only nodded and lifted the flashlight so that they could see each other's faces. He frowned when he noticed the tearstains marking Isabella's face.

"What happened?" Ferb asked. Isabella shook her head.

"Oh, nothing. Just another one of those moments when, you know, I _am_, and Phineas _isn't_, and I wish he was," she explained. Ferb raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'm a girl. This is how we speak when we're upset," Isabella added defensively.

Ferb turned to her. "Well, what do you want?" he asked quietly.

"My dream is for Phineas to notice me, and be my friend until high school, when we'll start dating, and we should get married the summer after college ends," Isabella admitted. She paused for breath. "Don't say it. I know. It's stupid."

Ferb gave her a small smile. "Maybe you shouldn't reach for the moon just now," he agreed.

"Ferb! Oh, there you are, Isabella. Guess what I found?" Phineas raced up to them, looking flushed and excited.

"Another problem with the heating systems?" Isabella questioned.

"No! I just found the coolest thing! Guess what? On the ground floor, there's this closet near our room. You know the one, Ferb," Phineas went on.

"You were looking into closets?" Isabella inquired.

"The door was open. I guess the janitor forgot to close it. I was going to, but I looked inside, and there was a painting just hanging on the wall inside the closet!" Phineas glanced expectedly at his companions.

"What kind of painting?" Isabella asked.

"It looked something like the painting in that weird fairytale we've been listening to," Phineas replied. "Remember that wall at the very beginning of the story with the princess Evanessa's portrait on it?"

"Yeah…" Isabella's eyes widened. "You mean, you found something like that here?"

"I think so. It's just a book, so there weren't illustrations, but the picture looks a lot like the book's description of the princess Evanessa," Phineas went on.

"Well, that's strange," Isabella remarked. "Let's go look." The group raced down a few flights of stairs, and Phineas led them to the closet.

Ferb shone his flashlight onto the painting. The yellowed, worn portrait depicted a beautiful girl in a black dress. Ferb walked closer and pointed his light at the bottom of the frame. The name engraved at the bottom read "Evanessa."

"This is weird," Isabella declared.

"This is amazing! Vanessa should see this; I bet she'd love it that one of her ancestors was a princess," Phineas enthused. Ferb studied the painting thoughtfully.

"The question of interest is, 'why is it here'?" he pointed out.

"Exactly." Isabella slowly turned in a full circle, studying the hotel. "Do you think…this could have been a castle once?"

"But according to the fairytale, the palace was on top of a high mountain," Phineas objected.

"Hmm. Well, we are on a large hill," Isabella said. "That's partly why the building wasn't completely buried in snow."

"Fairytales aren't based on real life." Phineas looked from his brother to his Isabella and spread his hands. "Right?"

The group became so involved in the picture that they didn't hear the footsteps behind them. "What are you looking at?" a voice asked, echoing in the hallway. Isabella whirled around and Phineas jumped, while Ferb remained calm and aimed his flashlight at the newcomer.

"Oh, Vanessa! It's you." Phineas sighed in relief.

"Yeah. You guys weren't doing anything naughty, were you?" The teenager seemed to be in a much better mood.

"No, but take a look at this," Isabella urged. Ferb shone his flashlight on the painting, and Vanessa peered at the girl in the picture.

"It looks like me," Vanessa said confusedly. "Who put it here?"

"I don't know, but it looks just like you'd think the painting of Princess Evanessa from the fairytale would, don't you think?" Isabella clasped her hands. "Who said fairytales aren't real?"

Vanessa looked doubtful. "They aren't," she said. "The palace in the story was on a high mountain-"

"I thought about that," Phineas put in.

"And why in the world would someone leave an old painting in a closet?" Vanessa went on. "This has to be a hoax, or a coincidence."

"Yes, but it may have been centuries since the fairytale was written," Isabella pointed out. "Besides, we haven't even heard the whole story."

"She has a point," Phineas said. "Many magical things seem to happen in fairytales. Maybe the writer was even using writer's interpretation. You know, exaggerating certain facts in the story to actually make it into a fairytale."

"I don't think so," Vanessa stated.

"Well, anyway, we should take this painting to the hotel management and find out where it came from," Phineas said. "It looks like it could be valuable, and I don't think it belongs in this closet, anyway."

"That's true," Vanessa agreed. She reached out and boldly took the picture down from the wall. Tucking it under her arm, she strolled downstairs. Everyone followed her, debating the reason for the picture in their own heads.

"Hey, look." Phineas stopped and gestured toward the room off to the side. People were trickling into it. "They must be getting ready for another chapter."

"Well, I'm taking care of this painting first," Vanessa declared.

"No!" Isabella bounced up and down. "We should listen to the story and see if there's an explanation for the picture in some later chapters."

Vanessa smiled rather condescendingly, but Isabella's sparkling eyes and Phineas' smile must have persuaded her. "Fine," she conceded. "What are we going to do with the painting, then?" Ferb took the painting from her and hurried back upstairs.

"He'll put it somewhere safe until we can find out more about it," Phineas said.

"I can't believe I'm going along with this," Vanessa muttered as the group started downstairs again. Ferb returned soon enough to hear her remark.

"I thought you were always up for adventure," Ferb replied as Phineas and Isabella skipped ahead.

"This is just ridiculous." Vanessa snorted. Ferb raised an eyebrow at her.

"I know what you're thinking," the Goth girl added. "And the answer is no. I never believed in glittery, stupid fairytales, no matter how young I was." She cocked her head, and a slow, guilty smile crept across her face. "But I guess we should play along, you know, for their sake."

Ferb refrained from the knowing look he wanted to send her as she walked ahead into the room where another chapter was beginning.

* * *

_Phineas' POV_

It had been two days since I'd seen Ferbison in the peasant's area. I still couldn't figure out exactly what he'd been doing down there. He hadn't bothered to explain himself to me, but he had made sure that I was too busy to sneak past the hedge again. More practice for murders I didn't want to commit, more knives thudding into the trunk of our oak tree, more missing Snow…

I didn't understand why I wanted that peasant girl back so much. I barely knew her. I told myself over and over that she was better off in the palace, and one day, she'd rule our land. Maybe then, Tristaria would regain its prominence of old. I'm sure that Isobel would make a fine queen unless Charliana poisoned her mind with sorcerous ideas.

Stepping up to remove my knives from the oak, I ran my hand over the rough bark. I hated to see the marks from the daggers mar the tree trunk. I'd always loved that oak. Maybe someday, if I had nothing at all to do, I'd spend an afternoon, maybe the whole day, relaxing under the wide branches. I'd invite Ferbison, too, and our pet platypus, although he's never around much; he tends to wander through the woods a lot. We'd just sit under the branches, enjoying the shade.

Not likely. There was always plenty to do at home, even when Ferbison wasn't forcing me to practice. I sat down under the tree alone, leaving the twin daggers glistening on the ground. The sunlight was everywhere today. Squinting up at the sunbeams shining on the leaves bothered my eyes, so I shut them. Then, there was nothing but the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind, the faint ripple of the stream behind the hedge, and, eventually, the pounding of hooves in the distance.

I leaped up as Ferbison hurried outside with my mother behind him. Fast horses were a rarity in this part of the land. To hear one usually meant that some person was wanted by the royal guard or the queen herself. As the rider came closer, I noticed that Ferbison looked nervous. I frowned. What would my brother have to fear from the authorities?

Before I could ponder the question any further, the white horse with gold trappings galloped into view. I relaxed a little. Gold instead of silver harnesses on the horse meant that the rider was a messenger, not part of the royal guard. One usually had less to fear from a messenger.

The blond rider dismounted and walked straight up to me. "Do you know where I could find one Phineas Flyngard of Danielsville, Tristaria?" he asked.

"I-that's me," I stuttered. The messenger unrolled a huge scroll and began to chant.

"Hear ye, hear ye! Phineas Flyngard has been summoned to the palace of Tristaria, by order of her Imperial Majesty Charliana, Queen of Tristaria, Chatelaine of Our Proud Palace, etc…"

"He is ready," a low, soft voice interrupted the messenger. Ferbison came forward, standing behind me with his hands on my shoulders. I looked up at him in alarm. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I was barely sixteen, and already, it had happened. The queen had summoned me.

The messenger shot Ferbison an annoyed look for interrupting him. "The notice is short, but times are desperate. Recipient of this message is required to leave immediately. Recipient's services to the royal family are extremely delicate, secretive, and will be discussed only at the palace," he read on. "Signed Doofenshmirtz, advisor to Her Majesty, LONG LIVE THE QUEEN." Ferbison sighed, waiting for the messenger to finish.

"Phineas will be ready to leave in a few minutes, Albert," Ferbison stated. With that, he walked toward the barn. Albert looked down his nose at me and gave a satisfied nod.

"As it should be," he declared. I ignored him, taking off after Ferbison. My brother had gone into the barn and was saddling the horse that the queen had given him after he killed Evanessa.

"How can you be so calm?" I demanded, standing in the doorway of the barn. Ferbison only turned and handed me my sword. Impatiently, I jammed it into its sheath. "Do you know what this means? I don't want kill anyone. I don't know if I can; I'd be guilty forever…" I thought Ferbison was ignoring me, and my voice rose. "I don't want to go, Ferbison!"

He cinched the saddle and handed me the reins. "You have to," he said quietly. I stared hopelessly up at him, tears welling in my eyes in spite of myself. I didn't want to cry, especially not in front of my older brother.

I asked him something I'd never dared to before. "How did you do it? How could you bear to end a life?"

He looked down at the ground. "There is a choice involved, when it comes down to the last," he replied.

"What are you talking about?" I huffed impatiently. He looked up again.

"You'll know," he said quietly. "You'll have the same choice to make that I did. I'm confident that you'll be able to handle everything." With that, he opened the barn door wide enough for the horse to get through. Mother came up and hugged me, whispered something about telling Father when he came home. I mounted the horse, knowing there was nothing else I could do, and followed Albert the messenger away from the only home I had ever known.

Albert threw a glance at me over his shoulder. "You don't look like much," he observed. "I hope the queen knows what she's doing."

"Well, what did she call me for?" I asked. Albert shrugged.

"I don't know," he replied. "It probably has something to do with the new princess, though."

A sickening feeling rose within me. The new princess? Wasn't Ferbison called to the palace to assassinate the last one? What if the queen made me kill Isobel? My hands grew slack on the reins, and my horse nearly wandered off the road.

"Control your beast," Albert scolded. I grasped the reins tighter and directed the horse back onto the path. I wanted to ask the messenger more questions, but I didn't dare to hear the answers he might give me. As light gray clouds began to cover the sun, I rode silently onward, staring ahead.

I had the feeling that this visit to the palace would be the worst time in my life.

* * *

_Ferbison's POV_

I went back into the barn after Phineas had left, climbed the ladder into the loft, and thought the situation over. Phineas was gone; there was no stopping that. I couldn't help him without possibly drawing attention to my own unlawful activities. My friends and I didn't need any of that attention; not now when we were so close to destroying the queen's empire.

Estral was the one thing standing in our way. We had decided that a foray into the mines in search of the metal was our only hope of finding any, but the date for the incursion had not been set. We were holding back, hoping that some miracle would happen so that we wouldn't have to make the trip. Most of us would die if we attempted to sneak past the guards.

I had hoped with all my heart that the queen would be dethroned before my brother was sent to fulfill any of her evil orders. I was afraid for Phineas and sympathized with his predicament. I knew how it felt to be ordered to destroy something beautiful. If there was anything at all I could do, I would do it.

I rose after a few more minutes of pondering. There was something I could do. With another young lady's life on the line, there was no reason to hold back anymore. I was sure Gretchen and Adyson would agree with me.

We would plan our attack and strike the palace mines as soon as we could.

"Hmm," Doofenshmirtz interrupted the story. Carl looked up from the book.

"What?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing; I'm just not sure that just rushing into the palace mines is a good idea. Believe me, if there are any kind of riches down there, the queen isn't going to give them up. I can understand this kid wanting to help his brother, but that seems like a really hotheaded, dumb thing to do."

"Oh, like some of your exploits this week?" Monogram returned.

"I don't think the characters have another choice," Carl put in.

"Ah, the inevitability of utter defeat, and yet the bold resolution to keep going," Doofenshmirtz said thoughtfully, staring into space. "I know about that." After a pause, Carl returned to the present page.

* * *

_Isobel's POV_

Just as I was beginning to adjust to my new home, something changed. I'm not sure why, but I felt nervous. The maids were whispering in the hallways, and I heard my name come up several times. Even the advisor, who was the friendliest person I had met there in the palace, was avoiding me.

I tried to go over what I could have done to offend anyone. I could not think of a thing, except for Advisor Doofenshmirtz' warnings about the diamond. The queen looked so upset when I'd touched it the last time.

I twisted my hair absently around my fingers as I wandered toward the kitchen. Maybe Anastasia, my personal maid, would be there. I struggled with the heavy wooden kitchen door. As it slowly creaked open, the servants' chatter filtered out.

"So, it's true, then?"

"Yes, yes it is. The queen herself has sent for another one," I heard Anastasia reply.

"So, this girl will go the same route?" the cook asked.

"By all appearances. I've heard that he's coming today." Anastasia lowered her voice, so I leaned against the door to hear. Just then, however, the cook jerked the door fully open, and I tumbled onto my face inside the kitchen.

Anastasia bounded over to me and pulled me roughly to my feet. "Here! Have you been spying on us, now?" she demanded.

"No, I wasn't," I quickly responded. "I just came to see what everyone was doing." Anastasia let me go and turned back to the chinaware she was counting.

"Well, you saw," the cook growled irritably, shoving past me with a bucket full of fish.

"Anyway, you should be in your room, for now," Anastasia said, adjusting the blue ribbon in her hair. I frowned.

"Why?" I asked. The cook shot a glance at my maid.

"You haven't told her?" the cook grunted.

"I guess I forgot," Anastasia replied.

"Her Majesty won't like that at all," the cook stated.

"What did you forget?" I queried. Anastasia took me by my arm and hurried me back toward my room.

"We have an important visitor scheduled to arrive this afternoon," she explained. "You'd just be in the way." I frowned.

"But-" I began. I didn't want to stay in that dim room all day. I wanted to go outside.

"Never mind, child. By tonight you'll be-" Anastasia stopped herself suddenly. I looked up at her.

"I'll be what?" I asked. She sighed and pushed me onward.

"What were you going to say?" Anastasia inquired abruptly. I shrugged.

"Can't I go into the gardens instead?" I pleaded. "If there's someone important coming, he'll be in the throne room, not outside." Anastasia looked doubtful. "I'll stay out of trouble, I promise," I added.

Anastasia gave in. "All right, go. It's not as if the queen uses her gardens."

"Thank you so much!" With that, I hurried away to the green mazes filled with butterflies before Anastasia could change her mind. Skipping through a side door that led to the gardens, I thought I saw a horse stop at the inner palace gates. A boy with red hair and a solemn expression dismounted.

_That must be the visitor,_ I thought. Quickly, so that Anastasia wouldn't get into trouble, I ran for the gardens before the boy had a chance to glance toward me. Once I was hidden by a wall, I halted to think for a moment. That young man looked strangely familiar. I peeked around the wall, but he was already gone. Disappointed, I turned away. Soon enough, I was chasing the butterflies, forgetting, for the moment, about this mysterious stranger.

* * *

_The Palace-Phineas' POV_

"That's as far as I go," Albert told me. He gave me the scroll he had read in front of our house. "Show this to the guards at the door, and there will be no trouble."

"Thank you," I replied. Albert took the reins attached to both my horse and his and walked away, leaving me staring up at the palace gates.

"Name," a guard growled at me.

"P-Phineas Flyngard," I stammered, holding the scroll out in front of me. The guard snatched it and examined it. He exchanged glances with his neighbor, who shrugged.

"You may enter," the first guard said. He swung the doors open. The second I stepped inside, two ushers walked me across the extremely spacious foyer toward the throne room. One of them stayed behind with me while another tiptoed quietly through the double doors that hid the queen. I felt out of place; I didn't know the protocol for this sort of thing.

The usher returned in a few minutes. "She is ready," he said in a hushed tone. He held the door open and directed me in.

During the walk toward the throne, I did manage to remember something of what my brother had taught me, and sank to one knee before the queen. With a bored look, she motioned me to my feet.

"So, you are Phineas Flyngard. Definitely the youngest assassin I have on my list." She smiled patronizingly. "I called you here because every trained agent of mine should have an especially easy first target." I swallowed, wondering if I should speak, and then realized she was waiting for me to make a reply.

"What would you have me do, your majesty?" I asked.

"As you know, I adopted a peasant girl recently to take the place of my own tragically deceased daughter," the queen elaborated. "I gave this girl a new life, and in return, she has betrayed me."

"How?" I questioned curiously, forgetting my place. The queen shot me a horrid glare, and I gasped. "I am sorry, your majesty," I hurriedly begged pardon.

The queen smiled slightly. "It is not for you to know the danger she has put the kingdom in," she said calmly. "It is your job merely to save the lives of many people, including, perhaps, those closest to you-"

"Your Majesty!" One of the silver doors swung far enough to graze the wall as an older man hurried in. "Your majesty-Charliana-there's been an emergency-" He slipped on the mosaic tiles, and I stifled a laugh. The queen only cast her eyes to the ceiling.

"Heinz, how many times have I warned you not to interrupt one of my meetings?" she demanded icily. The man regained his footing.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but a threat has been made to our security. Tristaria is under threat of attack," he panted.

"What?" The queen rose from her throne. "Who told you this? Who dares to threaten my kingdom?"

"You know; that old alchemist that you banned from Tristaria for rabble-rousing," the man replied. "The one who swore revenge and founded his own country soon afterword. He called it Hypatia, after his sixth name. You remember, he had about eleven names: Aloyse Everheart Elizabeth Otto Wolfgang Hypatia Gunther-"

"I remember who he is," the queen interrupted. "I thought we were rid of him. I thought he had forgotten."

"Rodney, forget a grudge? I don't think so," Heinz scoffed. "And his kingdom has been growing quite a lot in the last few years."

"I knew I should have attacked him long ago," the queen fumed, settling back into her seat. "Now, we are going to have to enlist the aid of other countries in order to discourage him from attacking."

"What other countries would help us? We owe most of them money," Heinz pointed out. The queen thought for a moment. I glanced around, beginning to feel forgotten. But then, the queen's gaze focused on me.

"Oh, now we must provide shelter for this wretch until something can be done about Isobel. We need the diamond now, and I cannot control it." The queen shook her head. "Oh, well. You must stay here, for now," she said to me. She raised her hand to call the ushers again, but suddenly froze, staring hard at me.

"What is it?" I asked uncomfortably. The queen walked over to me.

"Heinz, take a look at this boy," she called, ignoring my question. "Who does he remind you of?"

The palace official glanced at me. "Should he remind me of anyone?" he asked.

"That prince from the Northlands that we buy exports from," the queen said delightedly.

"Prince Thaddeus?" Heinz asked. "I suppose this boy resembles him. But what does that have to do with the threat on our kingdom?"

"Everything." The queen's eyes narrowed. "Prince Thaddeus would never come to our aid unless there was something in it for him."

"And we owe him for all the advanced weapons he and his brother have built for our kingdom," Heinz put in.

"Exactly. However, that pompous prince is about the same age as this boy, and both of them have that same unique facial structure," the queen went on. "If we were to tell 'Rodney,'" she pronounced the name with distaste, "that the prince had personally come here as a warning to all of Tristaria's enemies, how anxious would he be to attack?"

"I see," Heinz said thoughtfully.

"Your Majesty?" I spoke up. "I do not know everything of which you speak, and I definitely know nothing about being a prince."

The queen glanced carelessly back at me. "We will take care of that," she replied. "My servants will show you exactly how someone of such high station should act. You shall impersonate Prince Thaddeus here in the palace…until I can think of something else to do." She sighed. "All this intrigue is so tiring."

"What about his original mission?" Heinz asked. The queen thought for a moment.

"Tell the girl, Isobel, that you are indeed a visiting prince," she decided. "It wouldn't do to have her becoming suspicions. Besides, it will give you practice in working incognito. That is quite a valuable skill for an assassin."

I wasn't sure I could perform this task well, but I did not voice my doubtfulness. I was glad that I had another chance, perhaps, to meet up with Isobel, but the joy was hindered by the knowledge that sooner or later, her life would be at my mercy.

I had no idea what to do about that.

* * *

"What would you do about that, Phineas?" Isabella asked as Carl carefully shut the book.

"I don't know," Phineas thoughtfully replied. "Maybe, since I was supposed to be a prince, I could express an interest to marry you and 'join our kingdoms together', and the queen wouldn't be able to stop me because it would look like she was quarreling with her ally."

Isabella thought over her friend's response. "Phineas," she said finally, "that's an idea too romantic to even happen in a fairytale like this. Why can't you think of sweet ideas like that in real life?"

"Because it's real life," Phineas laughed. "In reality, no one would have these problems in the first place."

"Maybe they did," Ferb weighed in. "Many years ago." He pointed toward the stairs.

"Oh, right! The painting," Phineas exclaimed. "Come on, guys. Let's go ask someone about it." He set off with Isabella right behind him.

Ferb turned toward Vanessa, who was sitting behind everyone with an indifferent expression on her face. As Ferb sent her a steady glance, she slowly smiled and then accepted the hand he stretched out to her. Without a word, they followed the two younger children toward the piquant unsolved mystery.

* * *

_**So, there it is. I can't promise that chapter updates will be fast, but I'll do everything that I can to make them keep happening.**_

_**:3,**_

_**Laptop**_


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